Polio Workers Abducted, Beaten and Assaulted in Pakistan

CHWs Under Attack Polio Workers Abducted, Beaten and Assaulted in Pakistan

Image Courtesy: News 18/AFP

In the three recent tragic back-to-back incidents during ongoing Pakistan’s polio campaign, polio workers have become targets of violence, abduction, and rape. The incidents occurred in Jacobabad (Sindh), Lahore (Punjab), and Bajaur (KPK).

By Asad Ur Rehman Aasi, PSI Youth Network Coordinator, Pakistan

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On September 11, 2024, a female polio worker in Jacobabad, Sindh, was abducted by two armed men while providing polio drops in Detha village. She was later sexually assaulted. Police responded quickly, rescuing her and taking her to Jacobabad Institute of Medical Sciences (JIMS) for a medical examination.

Another incident occurred On Tuesday, a health worker and a police officer were killed in an armed attack on a polio vaccination team in Mamund tehsil, Bajaur district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Unidentified attackers opened fire on the team during a door-to-door vaccination drive, killing 25-year-old polio worker Abu Huraira and 33-year-old police officer Luqman, who was providing security.

On the same day, a female polio worker was violently beaten while working in Lahore’s Union Council (UC) 69. A complaint has been filed to take legal action against four suspects involved in the attack. This incident highlights the dangers polio workers face, even in urban areas, as they work to protect children from the disease.

The Punjab Ladies Health Workers Union (PLHWU) and All Sindh Ladies Health Workers and Employees Union (ASLHWEU), both affiliates of Public Services International, condemn the recent attacks on polio workers. They urge the government to protect Community Health Workers (CHWs) on the frontlines of public health.

The unions call for stronger local laws and adoption of international standards, like ILO Convention C-190, to protect CHWs. They demand better security in high-risk areas, recognition of CHWs and Protection against violence and harassment.

Polio workers in Pakistan are unrecognised frontline workers, volunteering in polio and other vaccination campaigns. They earn about 8,000 PKR for five days of work during polio Campaigns, often enduring extreme weather conditions, said Kinza Malik, a polio worker and member of the PLHWU.

Despite being educated and skilled, these young workers remain unrecognised, yet they are key Community Health Workers (CHWs) involved in vaccination and other campaigns. Our basic demands include recognition, permanent jobs, social protection, and violence- and harassment-free workplaces. As unions affiliated with PSI, we have raised our voices nationally and internationally to ensure our concerns are heard.