Domestic workers continue battle against exploitation

For a society where yelling out a list of orders to a dutiful house maid emerges to be the standard mode of functioning for nearly all affluent households, domestic workers hold an under recognized albeit irreplaceable role in ensuring the smooth functioning of the social and economic spheres of the country. Hence, while a steaming cup of tea served by a house-help might allow state officials to reach their office just in time for a meeting, its effects fail to last long enough to remind the law-enforcers to bat an eye at the undervalued contributions and miserable existence of the invisiblized house-helpers, whose unseen efforts allow them to show up for their high-profile jobs in the first place.

Two such domestic workers were Salma Azhar and Sakina Bibi, both of whom have been brewing tea, soaking clothes, sweeping floors and washing dishes at people’s homes since several years. “Now our children, who once we used to carry with us to work, have also grown up and are working in people’s homes. However, neither they nor us have received any rights or benefits, so far. If we take a day off, our employers deduct our wages, and if we fall ill, no one pays for our medical expenses. Some NGOs talk about the rights of domestic workers, but they only take photos and give us barely Rs1,000 to Rs2,000, without addressing our actual problems. The government must recognize our plight,” urged the workers.

Salma and Sakina’s woes are shared by approximately 10 million domestic workers in Punjab, out of which the highest number of domestic workers, 3 million has been reported from the Lahore division, followed by 1.5 million in Rawalpindi, 1.2 million in Faisalabad, 900,000 in Gujranwala, 600,000 in Multan, 400,000 in Sargodha and 200,000 each in Sahiwal and D.G Khan.

“The life of a domestic worker in Pakistan is no cup of tea,” commented Shahnaz Ajmal, President of the Women Domestic Workers Union Punjab, who herself was also a domestic worker. “Sometimes I was beaten up by my employers while many other times I was fired from my job without notice or reason. There was no protection or support available. Hence, I formed the Domestic Workers Union in Punjab to amplify the voices of women like me and to raise awareness on our issues, which include exploitation, low wages, and no job security,” added Ajmal, who incited the government to implement the Rs32,000 minimum wage for domestic workers.

According to Bushra Khaliq, a representative of the civil society, despite the extensive debate on the Domestic Workers Act from 2019 onwards, no practical action has been taken by the government to improve the condition of house-helpers. “Daily incidents of violence, torture, and harassment of domestic workers are being reported, but no solution has been found to stop this. So far, only the recognition of domestic workers as workers has been achieved, but their minimum wage, security, and other rights have not been ensured. Most of the women in our country are illiterate hence they are unaware of their basic rights and are being exploited in the worst possible way. Therefore, we need to take steps to protect this vulnerable segment of society,” said Khaliq.

“Countries like the Philippines treat domestic work as an industry hence their domestic workers receive regular skills training. We should also provide training to domestic workers in cooking, cleaning, ironing, and other tasks” opined Syeda Farah Hashmi, Head of an NGO working for women’s rights.

After the budget session, amendments to the Domestic Workers Act will be presented to the cabinet for approval. The minimum age for employment will be set at 16 years. Registration camps will also be set up soon where domestic workers can get registered,” affirmed Director General Labour Punjab, Syeda Kulsoom Hai.