The launch of The Caribbean Domestic Workers Network came out of a two-day meeting, 13-14 November 2011 at the Barbados Workers’ Union Labour College, and builds on the determined efforts of the National Union of Domestic Employees (NUDE) of Trinidad and Tobago and the Jamaica Household Workers’ Association (JHWA) who have long lobbied for a comprehensive improvement in the treatment of domestic workers.
Millions of women and girls around the world turn to domestic work in order to provide for themselves and their families. Instead of guaranteeing their ability to work with dignity and free of violence, governments have systematically denied them key labor protections extended to other workers. Domestic workers, often making extraordinary sacrifices to support their families, are among the most exploited and abused workers in the world.
A regional workshop for domestic workers in Africa was organized by ITUC in collaboration with IUF/IDWN from April 28 - 30, 2011. Twenty-seven trade unionists and domestic workers participated. Best practices from SADSAWU, KUDHEIHA, SINED and SEHM/BA were shared, and the ILO "Brown" report was discussed. Read the report of the workshop here.
Ida Le Blanc, general secretary of the National Union of Domestic Employees (NUDE), attended the International Labor Organization Conference in Geneva in June, 2009 and submitted a report.
It is not surprising that a number of organizations involved in WinWages and the Global Women's Strike are organizations of domestic workers: domestic work is one of the main occupations of women worldwide. For many women it is one of the very few options for paid employment, aside from prostitution. Because housework is unwaged and not recognized as "real work", even when we do it for pay it is one of the lowest paid and lowest status. It is often paid "under the table", undeclared income with no taxes taken out, often done by women who have emigrated from the countryside to the city, undocumented immigrant women, women on welfare . . . and others, including millions of children. This leaves us particularly vulnerable to rape, sexual assault and other violence, slave working conditions where we are cheated out of pay and denied time off, with little or no legal recourse. Many children are kidnapped and forced to work as "domestics".
During the 2010 International Labour Conference, the IDWN participated in a 'side-event' with the German Commission for Justice and Peace/Kolping International, International Catholic Center of Geneva (CCIG), Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), Caritas Internationalis, and the International Catholic Migration Commission. They produced Reports on the Rights of Domestic Workers.
At Cotonou in August, 2010, participants from Benin, Togo, Niger, Senegal and Burkina-Faso determined to advocate for the adoption of a ILO Convention for Domestic Workers. Read the Cotonou Workshop Statement.
Human Rights Watch is one of the world’s leading independent organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights. Human Rights Watch has published many reports on migrant domestic workers and child domestic workers.
The launch of The Caribbean Domestic Workers Network came out of a two-day meeting, 13-14 November 2011 at the Barbados Workers’ Union Labour College, and builds on the determined efforts of the National Union of Domestic Employees (NUDE) of Trinidad and Tobago and the Jamaica Household Workers’ Association (JHWA) who have long lobbied for a comprehensive improvement in the treatment of domestic workers.
Millions of women and girls around the world turn to domestic work in order to provide for themselves and their families. Instead of guaranteeing their ability to work with dignity and free of violence, governments have systematically denied them key labor protections extended to other workers. Domestic workers, often making extraordinary sacrifices to support their families, are among the most exploited and abused workers in the world.
Hong Kong May Day Rally for Adoption of ILO Convention on Domestic Workers
Johannesburg -
Ida Le Blanc, general secretary of the National Union of Domestic Employees (NUDE), attended the International Labor Organization Conference in Geneva in June, 2009 and submitted a report.
It is not surprising that a number of organizations involved in WinWages and the Global Women's Strike are organizations of domestic workers: domestic work is one of the main occupations of women worldwide. For many women it is one of the very few options for paid employment, aside from prostitution. Because housework is unwaged and not recognized as "real work", even when we do it for pay it is one of the lowest paid and lowest status. It is often paid "under the table", undeclared income with no taxes taken out, often done by women who have emigrated from the countryside to the city, undocumented immigrant women, women on welfare . . . and others, including millions of children. This leaves us particularly vulnerable to rape, sexual assault and other violence, slave working conditions where we are cheated out of pay and denied time off, with little or no legal recourse. Many children are kidnapped and forced to work as "domestics".
National Domestic Worker Alliance (USA) study on collective bargaining models from Germany, Switzerland, Uruguay and France.
During the 2010 International Labour Conference, the IDWN participated in a 'side-event' with the German Commission for Justice and Peace/Kolping International, International Catholic Center of Geneva (CCIG), Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), Caritas Internationalis, and the International Catholic Migration Commission. They produced Reports on the Rights of Domestic Workers.
At Cotonou in August, 2010, participants from Benin, Togo, Niger, Senegal and Burkina-Faso determined to advocate for the adoption of a ILO Convention for Domestic Workers. Read the Cotonou Workshop Statement.
Human Rights Watch is one of the world’s leading independent organizations dedicated to defending and protecting human rights. Human Rights Watch has published many reports on migrant domestic workers and child domestic workers.