News

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Migrant domestic workers exploited

23 April, 2013

​NEPAL -

Migrant domestic workers have been the most vulnerable lot in the world, no matter whether the job destination is a developed or a developing country. Half of the migrant domestic workers in the United Kingdom have suffered from exploitation, a report said.

According to rights-based organisations Justice for Domestic Workers and Kalayaan, about 21 per cent migrant domestic workers have been kept as forced labour as their employer holds their passports. Similarly, 55 per cent of them do not have a day-off facility.

DOLE Kalinga to hold consultation on Kasambahay Act

22 April, 2013

​PHILIPPINES -

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Kalinga will conduct a public consultation on the implementing rules and regulation (IRR) of the Kasambahay Act, a new law benefiting household workers, on April 15 here.

Formalisation of Domestic Work has a Positive Impact on the Economy and Poverty Reduction

22 April, 2013

BRAZIL -

UN Women, the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG) and the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) launch a study on the impacts of the adoption of the Proposed Amendment to the Constitution (PEC) for Domestic Houseworkers.

The Proposed Amendment to the Constitution (PEC) for Domestic Houseworkers intends to equalize the rights of employees to those of other domestic workers in Brazil. Although the PEC passed into the second round by the Brazilian senate in the past week and has been enacted today, the PEC still produces abundant controversy. In particular, one of the recurring issues of concern related to the formalization of domestic work is the increase in the cost of hiring domestic services. This cost increase may be problematic as it could lead to a reduction in demand, possibly resulting in massive layoffs and more informal work. On the other hand, the study supports the assertion that the PEC and the formalization of domestic work may correct a historical debt to millions of Brazilian women and generate economic growth for the country.

Indian domestic workers in struggle for equality

21 April, 2013

INDIA -

Domestic workers in India often work long hours for several employers, but they are not recognised under the country's labour laws.  They are not usually entitled to paid holidays, pensions and other perks that workers might normally expect.

Now some groups are calling on the government to do more to protect them, as Yogita Limaye reports.

The earning years of childhood

21 April, 2013

INDIA -

Fifty bonded child labourers rescued from Gunny bag factories. Two minor domestic workers saved, but in bad shape.

When such news headlines hog the media spotlight, there is a slight stir in the collective conscience of the people.  But in Bangalore, like many other cities, we have all seen them serving us, be it in a hotel, a garage or a construction site.

Bangalore is home to two lakh child labourers as per the ballpark field estimate by NGOs and activists. Every single day, 18 missing children arrive at the Majestic railway station alone, points out a recent study done by a city based NGO.

Nagashima, a vocal voice on child rights in the city and also convener of Campaign Against Child Labour- Karnataka said, “If this is the data coming from one railway station, imagine what we are missing?”

Researchers highlight ordeals of child domestic workers

21 April, 2013

​ETHIOPIA -

The International Labor Organization estimates show that around 215 million children below the age of 18 are subjected to different kinds of labor. Many of the these children are involved in child domestic service.  While the majority of these child and domestic workers are found in urban areas, they mostly originate from rural areas. Researchers say that most these adolescent workers are female and poorly or not educated at all.

Researchers say the international community must invest more in studying millions of children who enter domestic work because of poverty. These children work long hours for little pay and are subjected to abuse and exploitation.

Promoting Labor Rights for Women Domestic Workers

20 April, 2013

USA -

BY Barbara Shailor

In recognition of domestic workers, and all the women whom I have met during my tenure at the State Department, I reaffirm the commitment of the United States to extend the rights of workers as widely as possible. We will continue to partner with governments, civil society, and the private sector to promote the rights of women workers and to ensure their economic inclusion and the empowerment of all to claim the rights, protections, and respect they deserve.

Equal rights a must

20 April, 2013

​BARBADOS -

It is imperative then that countries move to ratify the convention and take steps towards enacting the accompanying legislation, which will not only ensure domestic workers get access to fair and decent working conditions, as I noted before, but prevent abuse, violence and child labour in domestic employment. It will also ensure that these workers have reasonable working hours, are provided with clear information on the terms and conditions of their employment and that they also receive equal treatment in terms of compensation and benefits, including maternity benefits.

Domestic workers seek ESI and maternity benefits

20 April, 2013

INDIA -

Members of the A.P. State Domestic Workers Union urged the government to extend Employees State Insurance (ESI) and maternity benefits for domestic helps in the State.

Thousands of domestic workers attended the meeting organised by the union, in connection with National Domestic Workers’ Day, at Tummalapalli Kalakshetram, in the city on Saturday, April 6.

The union leaders said that National Domestic Workers’ Movement was started in the State in 1998.

Domestic Workers Sow a New Global Movement

19 April, 2013

GLOBAL -

BY Michelle Chen

Though only a handful of countries have ratified the ILO convention, the fact that Latin America and Asia have been centers for political advancements for domestic workers reflects the significance of those regions as both hubs for global labor migration and seedbeds for women's labor activism, particularly in gendered sectors of the service and informal economies.

But as they work through these challenges, domestic workers are actively representing a new convergence between two social spheres: work and home. The household is a deeply traditional and extraordinarily modern, intensely global and local, workplace. Linking work and family, public and private, domestic workers are schooling the labor movement in new concepts of respect, self-determination and social equity.

Pages