Inequality Call for Journalist – TORs

CDA is a national youth-led organization, striving for meaningful participation and empowerment of youth since 2004 as a theatre group and registered in 2006 under Societies Registration Act 1860. CDA envisions a healthy, just, democratic and peaceful society. Its mission is to empower young people ensuring their meaningful participation at each and every level of program/policy development and decision-making without discrimination on any basis for the creation of a healthy, just, democratic and peaceful society. CDA is working in 110 districts across Pakistan through its network of 360 youth-led organizations, 15,000 active volunteers and more than 100,000 peer educators across Pakistan.

While CDA has been consistent in struggle to fight inequalities from society, it believes in collaboration with civil society groups and media to make efforts inclusive and impactful. Where advocacy networks build the momentum, reach out public for awareness and the governments for policy interventions, role of journalists is as much important in bringing under spotlight the issues through carrying out detailed investigations to uncover exploitations of the weak and the voiceless. That journalism provides much-needed support in amplifying the message and spreading it to the wider audience can’t be over-emphasized. More so, because this is what journalism stands for: giving voice to the under-dogs of the society and fight against the injustice. CDA understands the resource constraints of reporters and hardships they face in line of their duties. It has therefore allocated a grant for the journalists wishing to work on issues which are in dire need of attention and has direct relevance with the oppressed and marginalized sections of Pakistani society.

CDA has launched this initiative to support journalists who are interested in digging deeper into inequalities rooted in fiscal policies. Grants will be awarded to journalists who have brilliant and workable ideas backed by do-able methodology for translating them into stories. Applicants are required to submit proposals relating three sectors—banking, real estate and agriculture with focus on the following issues:

• Sector-wise practices and position of living wages

Pakistan has one of the world’s worst records of labor exploitation; so much that even minimum wage isn’t enforced. To claim wage that caters to the bare household necessities is a basic human right of a worker. There is 65-million strong labor market of Pakistan and around 40pc of it is employed in the agriculture sector. Majority of them are paid meager advance payments and kept in conditions similar to the slavery. Banking and real estate are far more profitable sectors in comparison; nevertheless, labor exploitation is rampant there too. Right from fresh university graduates to sweepers in banks are found complaining of receiving salary less than the minimum wage fixed at official level. The government is duty-bound to ensure that every working citizen receives an income not less than an amount sufficient enough to help recipient survive inflation. Instead of doing that, it is unable to enforce the fixed minimum wage.

• Explore the fair wage to overcome the gender pay gap which hit the women hard

The females form around 18pc of the labor market, according to the official figures, compared to 71pc of the males. In rural areas, women are largely employed in agriculture and share of their labor force in this sector has increased to more than 30pc. However, a report in 2012 found that female agriculture workers are paid half the wage of a male worker. The Constitution safeguards the rights to equal pay for equal work. In addition, the Minimum Wage Ordinance 1961 has also reinforced this point but this excludes workers in the informal and rural/agriculture sector. This doesn’t mean it has been implemented in letter and spirit in other sectors. The wage subject has been devolved to provinces after the passage of 18^th amendment but there is no will to implement it. Also, the fact remains that there is no law, economic model or consumer price index taken for consideration to fix the minimum wages. They are arbitrarily decided thus can’t be called a fair wage.

• Status of unpaid care work—especially in agriculture sector

Sixty seven percent of rural women in Pakistan are involved in agriculture work—farming and livestock both– and 60pc of their work remain unpaid, according to a UN report last year. Another 30pc of rural women are engaged in small industry work at homes, arts and crafts but the reward to their labor is little to zero. Out of all the legislation passed over the years, not a single labor law has been extended to agriculture workers let alone focusing on exploitations of women workers. Of late, Sindh government has drafted “The Sindh Women Agriculture Workers Bill 2019” that promises female agricultural workers all the rights, protections and benefits that were denied to them but are available to industrial workers. Female workers in agriculture, livestock, and fisheries etc will be covered under it. The draft bill though has been approved from Sindh cabinet; its passage from the assembly is yet awaited. Hence practically, there is no law at the moment for protecting the rights of women worker in rural area.

• Tax avoidance in corporate sector deprives government of major chunk of revenue

Big businesses are expected to be the biggest contributor in tax revenue through paying their due fair share. Empirical evidence doesn’t support this notion. Different methods are used to avoid/evade tax under which pricing transaction is carried out within and between enterprises under common ownership to increase expenses and decrease profit. Another method is foreign investment through off-shore companies. Panama Papers found many such examples where offshore companies owned by Pakistanis have invested in his/her local business. In one case, a businessman’s entire business in Pakistan was controlled through offshore companies in Bahamas and British Virgin Islands to avoid taxes and transfer profit abroad. Round tripping is yet another way to avoid taxes. Under this scheme, big businesses send profit abroad through hundi/hawala system which is returned through banking channel as foreign remittances. According to Pakistani law, source of remittance can’t be inquired about, no matter how big is the amount.

• Journalists who work for electronic media and/or for multimedia platform are preferred; though print journalists are also welcome
• We encourage applicants to bid for a project as a team where more than one journalists can collaborate their skills for shining light on an issue, however, journalists wishing to work alone are as much welcome
• Journalists with experience of financial/investigative reporting are preferred for the award but this doesn’t disqualify others from the race.
• Mid-career reporters are preferred for this award. Junior journalists with exceptional proposal will also be seriously considered.
• Applicants must have a recognized platform and expressed assurance for the broadcasting of investigative work.

As explained above, Fight Inequality Project seeks proposals from journalists relating to exploitation of labor and tax avoidance in agriculture, banking and real estate sectors. Applications will be assessed on the following criteria with relative weight to each other:

Budget

CDA supports costs related to journalistic investigation. This may include travel to places important for field reporting, obtaining documents, meetings with officials, shooting videos and other requirements which are mentioned by the applicant and approved by the selection committee.

Please send your detailed Proposals and Quotations on following CDA official postal address, with in closing date by October 28th, 2019.

Chanan Development Association, 154-4-A, Street Link 11, Iqbal Park, Main Boulevard DHA, Lahore Cantt, Pakistan

Please note it is mandatory to mention the Title on sealed envelope.