History

Birth of SEWA

SEWA was born as a trade union of poor self-employed women in 1972, in the city of Ahmedabad, Gujarat. It grew out of the Women’s Wing of the Textile Labour association, TLA, India’s oldest and largest union of textile workers founded in 1920 by Anasuya Sarabhai and Mahatma Gandhi. The original purpose of the Women’s Wing was to provide training in sewing, spinning, knitting, embroidery, and other welfare activities to the wives and daughters of mill workers.

History of SEWA

Since 1972, SEWA membership has grown at a steady pace, drawing self-employed women from many different trades into the union: from vegetable vendors to incense-stick rollers, from junksmiths to waste-recyclers. The Women’s Decade, beginning in 1975 also gave a boost to the growth of SEWA, placing it firmly within the women’s movement. In 1977, SEWA’s General Secretary, Ela Bhatt, was awarded the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award and this brought international recognition to SEWA.

By 1981, relations between SEWA and TLA had become strained. The interests of TLA, representing workers in the organized sector did not align easily with the interests of SEWA, representing unorganized women workers.