Domestic Workers in Bangladesh Total Domestic Workers : 331,000 (Labour Force Survey-2006) Child Domestic Worker: 420,000 (ILO-UNICEF Baseline Survey 2007) Among them 83 percent are female, who are mostly child and young in age. Estimated domestic workers: about 2 million (calculation based on household of the Dhaka and Chittagong City Corporation)
Situation and Legal Protection Domestic workers are excluded from the Bangladesh LabourAct-2006; Domestic Servant Registration Ordinance-1961 is negative to labour rights protection; Domestic workers income is not included in Gross Domestic Product; There is no monitoring system in domestic worker protection system; Domestic workers have no scope for complain.
Domestic Workers Rights Network, Bangladesh Trade unions, human rights organisation and NGOs who are working for the rights of workers came together to formulate the Network. Domestic Workers' Rights Network (DWRN) formed in December 2006 for Protection of Domestic Workers Rights. 32 organisations comprising trade unions, human rights organisations and NGOs are member of the Network. BILS works as the secretariat of the Network.
The Sleeping Place of domestic worker Place for Sleeping Percentage Drawing Room 20.00% Kitchen 33.33% Varanda 16.67% Store Room 03.33% Floor of bedrooms 20.67% Separate Rooms 06.67%
Working Hour & wage Average Working Hour : 10.73 Hour Domestic worker s agerage wage: BDT 509.60 (below US $ 7)
Injustice and Torture towards domestic worker Lack of education opportunity : 66.67% Lack of recreation : 53.33% Use of bad word : 83.33% Physical Torture : 46.67% Threat of Unemployed : 46.67% Work pressure behind capacity : 63.33% Sexual harassments : 16.67% Lack of Security : 40.00% Mental Frustration : 67.67%
Picture of Domestic worker torture- Dead by torture 2001-2010 (Ref: BILS) Wounded by torture Sexually Harassed & Others Total 398 299 100 798 Year Dead Wounded Total 2009 37 34 71 2010 56 30 83 2011 38 20 58
Network Activities Network submitted memorandum to the ministry of labour and employment to account domestic worker in the labor act 2006 on 9 January 2008. Ministry Decided to formulate Domestic workers Protection and Welfare policy and invited network to contribute in drafting the Domestic workers Protection and Welfare policy 2010. Network organised series of meeting, workshop, seminar, rally, human chain, letter campaign on raising demand for approval of the policy and ratify the ILC 189.
Members of Parliament expressed their Solidarity to the demands of Domestic Workers on December 10, 2009
Hon' able Minister for Labour and Employment assured about approval of Code of Conduct on January 20, 2010
Domestic Workers Protection and Welfare Policy 2010 Proposed responsibilities of the employers: Contract with domestic workers/guardians; Appointment letter & Identity Card for the domestic workers; Payment of monthly wage within 7 days and festival allowance; Segregation of working hours with sufficient leisure; One day leave per week and 14 days leave as Annual Holidays; Safe and hygiene of sleeping place, Maternity benefits; Education and skill training, Treatment facilities; Compensation to the injured/dead workers.
Domestic Workers Protection and Welfare Policy 2010 Proposed responsibilities of the government: Registration of the domestic workers Fixation of wages Punishment for illegal action against domestic workers. Regular inspection and develop monitoring mechanism by involving non govt. organisations & civil society members for protecting rights of domestic workers. Proposed responsibilities of the workers: Giving one month prior notice to the employer for dissolving the work. Submit complains to the authority.
Domestic Workers Protection and Welfare Policy 2010 Prohibition: No appointment of domestic worker under 14 years of age. Never locked the home when the domestic worker is inside. Never engage the child domestic workers in heavy and dangerous works. Never appoint any domestic worker without his/her consent.
Parliamentarian Rashed Khan Menon MP supported the demand of ratification of the ILO Convention 189 on International Domestic Workers Day on June 16, 2012
Advocacy on ratification of ILO Convention 189 Sharing with National & Regional Trade Union Federations; Sharing with Human Rights organizations of Domestic Workers Rights Network; Facilitating media reporting both print & electronic; Orientation to the civil society members through publication.
Advocacy on ratification of ILO Convention 189 Memorandum to the Hon'ableMinister, State Minister, Secretary of the Ministry on Labour & Employment; Thanks Letter to the Bangladesh delegates (govt., employer & workers representative) of 100 th ILC; Press Conference demanding ratification of ILO Convention 189 on July 25, 2011; Publication of booklet on ILO Convention 189 & ILO Recommendation 201 in Bengali and circulate.
Demands in Media
Demands in Media
Poster campaign on demanding ratification of ILO Convention 189
Come to protest where torture
Thank you Presented by: Murshida Akter Nahar Member, Domestic Workers Rights Network, Bangladesh Secretariat: Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies-BILS Email: bils@citech.net, website: www.bils-bd.org General Secretary, National Domestic Women Workers Union