Momtaz, 60, Bangladesh

"I have been a domestic worker for 20 years, ever since my husband passed away. Until he died, I'd never worked outside of the house as I looked after his seven children from another wife.

"My husband was a sharecropper and a day labourer and he made enough money for us. Now I work as a paddy harvester. In the harvest season I work a lot. 

"I make a verbal contract with the landowner to work for around 15 days each time.

"Work is tough"

"In the rainy season, I make puffed rice or polish floors. But I can always find work.

"Paddy harvesting is tough. First, I boil the paddy. Then I spread it on the earth to dry. When it is dry I take it to the mill and then I take the rice home and separate the rice from the husks.

"I can harvest 40kg of paddy in two days. For this, I receive 3kg of rice and my meals over the two days while I am working. I work from 7am to 4pm. I try hard to finish the work, but sometimes I feel sick and have to stay at home.

"If I could stop, I would"

"My employer is fair and allows me the time off as long as I finish the work when I come back. I have done this work for a while but now it's getting harder because of my age. I get tired. 

"When I separate the rice from the husks the particles go into my nose and I can't breath properly. When I come home I feel very uncomfortable. I have received the Old Age Allowance for four years. I get 1,400 taka (US$20) every 6 months, but its not enough to stop paddy harvesting. 

"I don't like the work that I do and if I could stop, I would.  If I had a monthly income of 2,000 taka (US$28) I could find some work that was less tough on my body."