Decent work for domestic workers – Eight good practices from Asia

Strong domestic workers’ organizations – in the form of trade unions, cooperatives, associations or other membership-based organizations – have been emerging in Asia where the fight for more and better jobs, and the elimination of child labour in domestic work are priorities for domestic workers and their organizations. The International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) documented eight good practices of IDWF affiliates in Asia with longstanding experience in promoting more and better domestic service jobs and empowering young and adult domestic workers. Their expertise on what works and what to avoid can help and inspire action by domestic workers and their organizations in other contexts and countries. All initiatives demonstrate the vital importance of domestic workers organizing for domestic workers, and how to do it successfully. Other promising good practices illustrate how to eradicate child labour in domestic work, they show how skills development and job matching services benefit domestic workers and their employers alike, and how to realize online communication and networking between domestic workers, their organizations and the outside world.

The eight good practices in this report demonstrate successful initiatives to combat child labour in India and Nepal; to establish strong and sustainable domestic workers organizations in the form of trade unions, cooperatives or associations in Indonesia, the Philippines and the Republic of Korea; on skills development and organizing in Hong Kong, China, and on the global online IDWF communication network.

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