Domestic workers instigate house crimes

Employers suffer robberies as a majority continue to hire house help through acquaintances without police verification

KARACHI:

Where peaking inflation and rife unemployment had already pushed the crime rate up to an unprecedented level, the display of negligence by employers hiring unverified domestic workers has worsened the dilemma.

Despite the police providing a platform for the verification of domestic workers, numerous households continue to hire domestic workers on the basis of familiarity and acquaintance reference, without checking their documentation and criminal record with law enforcement agencies.

“For some time, I was on the lookout for a maid to help around the house until my cousin introduced me to a domestic worker. I immediately hired her since I trust my cousin’s judgement,” said Ambrin, a homemaker on bed rest, whose house help manages her entire place and her two children. While Ambrin might be fortunate to have found a trustworthy helper, without any verification, most employers are not as lucky.

One such ill-fated employer is Sadia Afshin, who had recently hired a female domestic worker through a neighbour’s reference, only to discover that she was stealing money from her purse. “Even though we have fired the maid now, we do not find it convenient to verify a domestic worker every time we hire one,” retorted Sadia. Where most might raise eyebrows at Sadia and Ambreen’s imprudent attitude towards hiring domestic help, social workers like Muhammad Naeem, believe that it is only reflective of the lack of effort people put in investigating the background of the people they let into their homes every other day.

“When people do not bother verifying a new worker’s information with the police, such incidents are bound to occur rampantly,” sarcastically remarked Naeem. Contrary to popular perception, according to Attaullah Qureshi, a police officer, the procedure for the verification of domestic workers is not a complicated ordeal since it only involves the employer submitting an application alongside their CNIC and two passport sized photographs to the regional police station.

Aware of the verification process and the wide prevalence of robberies involving domestic workers, some thoughtful employers have started carrying out background checks on their new hires by verifying the workers with the police. Sohail, a driver working for an affluent family, recalls the scrutiny with which his employer hired him, and other workers, to work at his bungalow.

“My employer took each prospective worker to the police for verification,” he informed. Lacking job security While the background checks are a way to ensure that the system protects employers and their belongings, the same system does not provide any sense of security whatsoever for domestic workers, when it comes to their employment. “We can get fired for even the most trivial reasons and since we do not have any job security or retirement benefits, once we get old, we are left at fortune’s mercy,” shared Sohail, depressingly. Manzooran, a housekeeper, agreed with Sohail, as she shared her struggle trying to sustain a livelihood as a worker without any job security or benefits. “We cannot even claim a sick leave since our employers can easily deduct money from our salaries in case we take a day off,” complained Manzooran, who receives a petty salary of Rs 15,000 per month.

Sohail and Manzooran’s plight is shared by many domestic workers across the country, who according to Zahra Khan, the Chairperson of the Home-Based Workers’ Welfare Foundation, “are not officially registered and are hence deprived of the financial and medical benefits that other employees in the country are entitled to receive.” In his response to the concerns of social workers advocating the registration of domestic workers, Saeed Ghani, the Sindh Labor Minister said, “The Labor Department is starting the process of registration of domestic workers soon. Once the registration process is complete the workers will receive the Benazir Mazdoor Cards, after which they will be entitled to receive employment benefits.