Recognizing the Rights of Domestic Workers, ‘One of the Groups Most Vulnerable to Exploitation, Violence, Harassment, and Forced Labour’

Human Wrongs Watch

23 Augusto 2018 (ILO)* – Domestic workers are one of the groups most vulnerable to exploitation, violence, harassment, and forced labour. Many women end up being trapped in abusive work situations, taking place behind closed doors, and hence remaining largely unnoticed.

International standards can be powerful tools to protect domestic workers. The ILO Domestic Workers Convention No. 189, adopted in 2011 , recognized millions of domestic workers as workers, further empowering them to advocate for their rights, and fight violence and harassment.

Furthermore, the ILO Forced Labour Protocol , adopted in 2014, requires member states to take effective measure to prevent forced labour, protect victims and ensure their access to justice. In particular, countries must ensure the relevant legislation applies to all workers in all sectors.

This obligation is particularly relevant for domestic workers as one key issue is that they are not always recognized as workers by the national legislation, hence not benefiting from the same rights and protection.

However, to date, 25 countries have ratified the Domestic Workers Convention No. 189 , another 30 or so have adopted laws or policies extending protections to domestic workers, and only 25 countries have ratified the Forced Labour Protocol .

Governments, employers and workers, as well as individual households, all have a role to play to ensure protection of domestic workers from violence and harassment.

Since the adoption of the Domestic Workers Convention No. 189, the ILO adopted a global strategy to support Governments, workers and employers to make decent work a reality for domestic workers.

Through this strategy, the ILO has supported some 60 countries to extend protections to domestic workers, ensure compliance with these standards, shift norms, and strength the representation of domestic workers and employers of domestic workers.

These country-level experiences on policies such as working time, wages, social security, migration, labour inspections and organizing have been documented and compiled at www.ilo.org/domesticworkers .

Seven years after the adoption of the ILO Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189), find out how you can make your home a decent workplace by visiting www.ilo.org/domesticworkers or www.idwfed.org/myfairhome .

^*Testimony collected by the Visayan Forum Foundation, with the support of the ILO.

2018 Human Wrongs Watch