‘Stricter laws needed to protect domestic workers’

National Commission on Status of Women Chairperson Mumtaz says the 'state of domestic workers here is miserable.'

ISLAMABAD:

Condemning the torture of an underage maid in Lahore that resulted in her death, the National Commission on Status of Women (NCSW) has called for stricter laws to protection of domestic workers.

In a statement issued here on Monday, NCSW Chairperson Khawar Mumtaz said the “state of domestic workers here is miserable.”

She said domestic violence on innocent children is the single-biggest contributing factor for the untimely deaths of child domestic workers (CDWs).

A CDW in Lahore’s upscale residential area was severely beaten by her employer, a university professor, and the girl was eventually hospitalised in critical condition. The professor later confessed to his crime and was put behind bars. The girl died in hospital yesterday.

NCSW chairperson showed concern that domestic workers are denied rights enshrined in the constitution and even the right to life.

Cases of violence against domestic workers are on the rise in Pakistan.

In the last three years, at least 47 cases were reported in the media. The culprits of these heinous crimes often get bail due to non-implementation of existing laws.

The plight of CDWs is alarming in all the four provinces in the country and cases of torture are often noticed in the upper segments of society, where children are often coerced into working against their wishes.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 21^st, 2014.