The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) Trust organised a national workshop on ‘Enhancing capacities of women fishworkers in India for the implementation of the SSF Guidelines’ in Chennai, India, on November 21-23, 2016. There were 63 participants from nine coastal states of India—participants from Gujarat could not attend. They were informed of the situation and role of women in India’s fisheries, as also the relevance of the ‘Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication’ (SSF Guidelines) to women in small-scale fisheries and the opportunities to improve their conditions.
This report of the workshop provides the various discussions that were held during the three days. Apart from participants sharing their experiences on all the issues, the challenges they faced, and their struggles and successes to overcome these, resource persons provided information on the legal frameworks and schemes at the national and state levels, as also the mechanisms to access these to help women in small-scale fisheries to promote their interests and protect their rights.