Domestic workers’ rights can’t be ensured without legal protection: Experts
Domestic workers attending the seminar shared their personal experiences, revealing that they often face mental abuse in the workplace
Ensuring the rights of domestic workers is not possible without legal protection, experts and labour leaders said at a seminar in Dhaka today (14 July).
They also called for government intervention to recognise domestic workers and establish a legal framework for their rights.
"Recognition and legal protection are essential. Without these, it will not be possible to ensure the rights of domestic and other workers," said Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, head of the Labour Reform Commission and executive director of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS).
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The seminar titled "Recognition and Rights of Domestic Workers: Valuing Care Work and the Rights of Care Workers in Bangladesh", jointly organised by BILS and the International Labour Organization (ILO), was held at a hotel in the capital.
The seminar featured a presentation by Saiduzzaman Mithu, senior programme officer at BILS, on the current status of domestic workers in the workplace, legal recognition, and the activities of the Domestic Workers' Rights Establishment Network and the newly formed "Care Workers Rights Protection Forum."
Associate Professor Mostafiz Ahmed of Jagannath University shared findings from a study conducted under the ILO-BILS Care Work Project, highlighting the precarious working conditions of domestic workers.
He noted that domestic workers are still not covered by existing labour laws, and the current policies fall short of international standards.
He stressed the need for a national framework to address these gaps, alongside changes in societal attitudes and the implementation of education and awareness programmes.
Speakers at the seminar also said while incidents of torture, murder, and human rights violations against domestic workers have declined somewhat in recent years, there has been little progress in achieving legal recognition, fair treatment, and dignity for domestic workers.
Domestic workers attending the seminar shared their personal experiences, revealing that they often face mental abuse in the workplace.
Several said they are subjected to mistreatment by employers simply for arriving late.
Other speakers included Shakil Akhter Chowdhury, general secretary of the Bangladesh Labour Federation (BLF); Nailul Ahsan Jewel, general secretary of the National Labour Alliance; and Kaila Karim, programme director at Ayat Education.
