Invisible hands: ‘Who is a domestic worker?’

Consultation organised by APWA discusses position paper.

LAHORE:

“Let’s take a step forward to recognize, respect and give rights to our domestic workers. They not only work for their own families but also enable us to work, as they take care of our households and help us look after our children,” said MPA Hina Butt at a consultation arranged by the All Pakistan Women’s Association on Thursday to discuss a position paper.

Butt said there were approximately 8.5 million domestic workers. They should be recognised as workers in terms of labour laws. She said the number of casualties and cases of violence reported against domestic workers was increasing.

MPA Nausheen Hamid suggested that a committee be formed to help domestic workers with job placements. She said this would reduce the likelihood of being exploited.

Women In Struggle for Empowerment (WISE) Executive Director Bushra Khaliq suggested that statistics of the domestic work force and the various difficulties they face be included in the position paper.

Aurat Foundation provincial manager Mumtaz Mughal recommended that data of violence faced by domestic workers be included as well.

APWA consultant Advocate Shamim Malik said that the purpose of the position paper was to define domestic work, the domestic worker and what should be written in the job contract.

APWA legal aid head Shamsa Ali presented the position paper at the consultation, which stated that the domestic work sector had the most number of female and child workers world-wide.

The vulnerability of domestic workers was much greater compared to the formal sector, the paper said. The nature of the job often requires contact with children and elderly members of the family, which adds to its uniqueness. The maintenance of labour protections becomes a challenge as the work-place is in this case also a home.

According to the paper, domestic workers are a special category of workers and may be defined as those “employed in or for a household or households; on permanent, temporary or contract basis for part time or full time; for remuneration in cash or kind to perform domestic work.”

The paper says any person who performs domestic work only occasionally or sporadically and not on occupational basis is not a domestic worker.

It also differentiated between a domestic worker and an ‘unpaid agricultural family helper’, which is any person working in the non-formal agriculture, livestock, forestry and fisheries sectors.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th, 2014.