Domestic workers’ week regional conference held at Jakhama
Our correspondent
Jakhama | June 11
The regional conference on the Domestic Workers’ Week was held on June 11 at St. Joseph’s College, Jakhama under the theme, ‘Rights, Dignity and Solidarity of the Domestic Workers.’
To create a just society for all domestic workers where they are treated with dignity and justice and their rights upheld, Minister for Social Welfare and Parliamentary Affairs Kiyaneilie Peseyie, who was the chief guest, viewed that their contributions must be recognized and their voices heard.
With most of the domestic workers coming from marginalized sections, Peseyie urged the participants to promote and protect the basic rights of all domestic workers, respect their fundamental rights and eliminate all force of compulsory labour and child labour.
“We also envision a society where child domestic work is completely abolished and children in work enjoy mainstream education and fuller childhood. We commit ourselves to promote and ensure participation of domestic workers in their struggle from all forms of injustice and discrimination,” pledged Minister for Social Welfare.
Speaking on the theme, Dr. Riju Sharma, Director, Social Science Department ADBI, Guwahati said changes in economic policies, rural poverty and migration to urban areas due to impoverishment and disruption of livelihoods have changed the nature of the informal economy in India with one of the visible changes being, the increase in participation of women in the informal sector.
The need to seriously deliberate on the link between domestic workers and the deficiency of quality, accessible and affordable care services was further highlighted.
This connection, according to Dr Sharma, can also be linked to the context of ageing societies and changing family structures necessitating more care services.
“We are home to most of the world’s child labour, forced and bonded labour and to a large proportion of the working poor. Eliminating child labour, bonded and forced labour practices through legislation review, effective enforcement, rehabilitation, strengthening institutional mechanisms and fostering a convergence based approach focusing on prevention of vulnerabilities and promoting social dialogue for improving working and living condition- need to be some of the sustainable interventions in our region,” stated Dr. Sharma.
He also pointed out that only when domestic work is brought into the realm of work and is seen as a contract, only then domestic workers would be able to negotiate for their rights. This would involve upgrading the skills of domestic workers and facilitating a more professional attitude to their work.
The event was organised by Ferrando Domestic Workers Alliance (FDWA) & National Domestic Workers Movement (NDWM) in collaboration with the office of the Labour Commissioner, Kohima, Office of the Deputy Commissioner, Kohima, Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC), Catholic Association Nagaland (CAN), Japfü Christian College, Kigwema, Don Bosco, Kohima and St. Joseph’s College, Jakhama.
The Domestic Workers Week is held from June 10 to 16.
