There are 4 to 10 million domestic workers in India. They are the invisible workforce of Indian households. As compared to other informal sector workers, domestic workers experience more difficult work conditions and are more vulnerable to verbal and physical abuse and sexual harassment.
After the meetings in the Delhi Secretariat post the State Consultation, we are now working closely with the Department of Women and Child Development of the Delhi Government for the state’s compliance on implementation of the SHW Act.
Over 70 stakeholders from civil society, trade unions, academia, media, informal sector and Delhi State Government, Delhi Commission for Women joined the consultation to help bring together a list of actionable points for the holistic and meaningful implementation of the Act in all the districts of Delhi
Using the Right To Information Act, information about the Local Committees in the three districts were unearthed, and the Committee Members identified. Training and strengthening of the Local Committees and building linkages with district administration was a major focus in the second year.
Khadija has emerged as one of the strongest gender champions among domestic workers. Khadija’s confidence is unparalled. As a panelist at an event organized by the project in Oxford Bookstore, New Delhi, she held her own among the more seasoned civil society representative and trade union members.
Kelly Souza Marron interned with the project for 10 weeks, researching the experiences of domestic workers in the project sites on the issue of sexual harassment and the impact of the #MeToo movement on them.
Groups begin to take action and resolve the problems they had identified
Identified gender champions were trained to become action researchers in their own communities
Domestic workers' perspectives on sexual harassment at workplace was built through a series of discussions with them, using the tools of participatory safety assessment and problem tree analysis.
On Friday, June 22, 2018, PRIA, Martha Farell Foundation, Apne Aap Women Worldwide and Oxford Stores organized a panel discussion on “Protecting and Promoting the Rights of Domestic Workers” at Oxford Bookstores, Connaught Place, New Delhi.
On Friday, 15th June, 2018, the eve of International Domestic Workers’ Day (IDWD), PRIA, MFF and Sukhmanch Theatre Group joined forces to organize a street play on the rights of domestic workers at Huda Metro Station, Gurgaon.
As compared to other informal sector workers, domestic workers experience more difficult work conditions and are more vulnerable. In June 2018, we are conducting a campaign online and on the ground to bring change in the lives of domestic workers.
Domestic workers in Gurgaon conducted participatory safety assessments of their neighbourhoods and their walk to work, documenting the various kinds of harassment they face, every day.
The objective of the mapping exercise was to understand the gaps in knowledge related to Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act, 2013.
An ethnographic study on issues and challenges of domestic workers in the district of Gurgaon, Faridabad and South Delhi was conducted during the inception of the project.
.JPG)
