Latest Updates
Lebanon: In Memory of Alem Dechasa
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 19, 2015 02:35 PMDocumentary filmmaker Vanessa Bowles began her project "Alem & Asrat" at the exact time of Dechasa's death and wanted to tell her story. Concurrently, she wanted to delve into her own proximity to the lives of domestic workers. She introduces Asrat, the young woman who has been with the Bowles' family for the past five years. Bowles' journey took her to Ethiopia to meet the families of Dechasa and Asrat. She is met by a group of young activists called the Good Ethiopians. One of the activists says that if he had one message for Lebanese people, it would be that "Ethiopians are humans, too."
Nepal: Knowledge Helping domestic workers stay safe
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 19, 2015 02:45 PMThe International Labour Organization (ILO) believes that knowledge can play an important role in helping migrants stay safe, according to a study released on Friday. In 2012, the ILO organized a series of orientation workshops, as part of a UK-sponsored pilot project aimed at reducing the vulnerability of women and girls migrating as domestic workers.
USA: Join NDWA to tell Governor Brown to clean up his act
— by IDWFED — last modified Jan 11, 2016 06:01 PMOn Sunday, September 30, Governor Jerry Brown vetoed the California Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. Governor Brown had the opportunity to help lead the nation towards progress and equality for our growing, vital workforce of women. Instead, he chose to set us all back. Join us in telling Governor Brown that you can veto a bill, but you can't veto a movement.
India: Giving domestic workers their due
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 19, 2015 02:52 PMThey cook, sweep, scrub and make homes cleaner places to dwell in, but their labour is seldom recognised as work. The benefits that many employees enjoy including safe working conditions, minimum wages, holidays and medical insurance are denied to them, felt domestic workers at a meeting on Sunday to push for recognition of their labour as dignified work.
Jamaica: Domestic workers rally for decent working conditions
— by IDWFED — last modified Feb 02, 2016 06:17 PM"Domestic work remains a virtually invisible form of employment in many countries and many domestic workers endure very poor working conditions, including underpayment of wages, long working hours, inadequate privacy and the threat of sexual harassment," Shirley Pryce explained.
IDWN: All the best for the year ahead and a blessed festive season
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 19, 2015 02:58 PMLet's join in solidarity forever - your pain is our pain, your struggle is our struggle. If one wins, we all win. We will work even harder next year, to get all countries to ratify C189.
Kuwait: Establishment of a domestic-labor office is urged
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 19, 2015 03:09 PMSecretary of the National Assembly, MP Kamel Al-Awadhi, stressed on Dec 22 the importance of expediting the establishment of a company concerned with the employment of domestic workers. He said Kuwaiti families are continuously suffering domestic-worker related problems that incur huge amounts of money due to the manipulations and exploitations of recruitment companies.
Vietnam: Needs practical guidance to protect domestic workers
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 21, 2015 05:52 PMVietnam has made a good start in the protection of domestic workers by mentioning it in the amended Labour Code, but this group requires more detailed guidance to make the new law doable under specific circumstances.
Europe: Coring, a migrant domestic worker's story
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 21, 2015 06:04 PMToday, thousands of migrants live and work as domestic workers in European countries. They give essential services to families and societies, yet their work is often undervalued and taken for granted. Domestic workers are real workers - like you and I. Respect their work, respect their rights!
UK: IDWN letter to Mark Harper to protect domestic workers' rights
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 21, 2015 06:31 PMIDWN sent a letter on 19 Nov to Mark Harper, Immigration Minister of United Kingdom, to show our concerns and worries about the effects of changes of the visa system for migrant domestic workers. We urged the UK government not just to consult, but to enter into negotiations with the domestic workers representatives, to address the many problems of the lack of rights, protection and regulation of domestic workers.
Italy: Has ratified the C189 (Italian only)
— by IDWFED — last modified Nov 03, 2015 04:01 PMPrevede un pacchetto di diritti essenziali per colf, badanti e babysitter, in buona parte già presenti nella normativa italiana. La firma dopo il pressing dei sindacati, che ora chiedono di facilitare l’emersione del sommerso e rinnovare il contratto collettivo Con la firma del ministro degli Esteri, l’Italia ha ratificato oggi la Convenzione 189 dell’ Organizzazione internazionale del lavoro (ILO) sul “Lavoro dignitoso per le lavoratrici e i lavoratori domestici”. È il primo Paese europeo a fare questo passo, il settimo al mondo dopo Uruguay, Filippine, Mauritius, Nicaragua, Bolivia e Paraguay.
Kuwait: New parliament urged to pass domestic labor law
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 25, 2015 06:17 PMManila-based Filipino recruitment agencies have expressed hope that new parliament in Kuwait would look into the issue of domestic workers and pass a domestic labor law hanging fire.
Australia: Union rally for ratification of ILO Convention 189 on Domestic Workers
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 21, 2015 06:40 PMIUF Asia/Pacific Regional Secretary Ma Wei Pin joined a rally by the affiliated United Voice at the Philippines Consulate in Sydney to press for wide ratification of ILO Convention 189 on domestic workers. A message was delivered congratulating the government of the Philippines as the first country in the region to ratify the Convention.
Hong Kong: Actions of the domestic workers on the International Migrants Day
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 25, 2015 06:26 PMDifferent domestic workers groups organized lots of action today on 16 Dec 2012, in celebration of International Migrants Day and demand for protection on domestic workers.
Philippines: Kasambahay bill crucial in pushing for domestic workers' rights abroad
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 25, 2015 06:53 PMThe enactment of the Kasambahay bill into law will give the Philippines the “moral ascendancy” in pushing for the rights of Filipino domestic workers worldwide, government and nongovernment officials said on Dec 13, Thursday.
Netherlands: In Memory of Slamet Heri Sutarjo, a beloved leader among domestic workers
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 25, 2015 07:10 PMWith sadness I share with you the lost of our friend Slamet Heri Sutarjo. He was a beloved leader among domestic workers and president of the Indonesian migrant group in The Netherlands. Below is a link to a memorial video that was first presented in the Cleaners and Domestic Workers parliament in Amsterdam, celebrated on Dec 3.
Korea: Domestic workers dancing in Gangnam style
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 30, 2015 05:19 PMKorean domestic workers street campaign for ratification of C189
USA: Just Employers - Park Slope Parents Advocate for Domestic Workers' Rights
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 30, 2015 05:13 PM“When my son was three months old and I became a part-time employer of a nanny, I was completely confused about how to be an employer and felt isolated,” says Gayle Kirshenbaum, a Park Slope parent and a founding member of Hand in Hand, a domestic employers association. “I didn’t have a sense of support or guidance. I very much wanted to do the right thing. I didn’t know where to go.”
Qatar: No World Cup without workers' rights - Help us fill all 21282 seats
— by IDWFED — last modified Jan 11, 2016 05:52 PMMore people will die building Qatar's World Cup stadiums than will play in the World Cup. Local laws in Qatar stop migrant workers from forming a trade union, collectively bargaining for better wages, and healthy and safe work. Nearly 200 Nepali workers die each year in Qatar. Qatar refuses to publicly count the number of workers who die or are injured on the job. We want people to know about the problems facing workers in Qatar, where more people will die building the World Cup infrastructure than will play in the World Cup.
South Africa: Domestic Worker's Wage Increase 2012
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 30, 2015 05:41 PMAll employers of domestic workers in South Africa must pay their employees a minimum wage. The increase in the minimum wage for domestic workers is effective from 1 December 2012.
India: Changing Patterms of Domestic Work
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 30, 2015 05:59 PMDomestic work is emerging as and is likely to remain an important activity for women workers in several developing countries, including in urban India. This makes the task of improving labour conditions in such work a difficult but urgent imperative.
Thailand: Honour your domestic workers, fight for women's rights
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 30, 2015 05:47 PMBy making it mandatory for employers to give both Thai and non-Thai domestic workers a day off each week including overtime pay, annual holidays, and paid sick leave, the new regulations help to ditch the long-held belief that household and care work have little economic value.
UK: J4DW (Justice 4 Domestic Workers) shares her activities from 2009-2012
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 31, 2015 05:09 PMNo Return to Slavery. We are workers!
Cambodia: Cambodia Domestic Workers Network (CDWN) founding congress
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 31, 2015 04:50 PMThe public and media in Cambodia are surprised to see now domestic workers in Cambodia are starting to be organized!. Cambodia Domestic Workers Network (CDWN) had its founding congress on Nov 10 and 11, 2012 in Phnom Penh.
Thailand: Thai ministerial regulations to protect domestic workers' rights approved
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 31, 2015 05:24 PMThe ministerial regulations to protect domestic workers' rights had been approved on 30 Oct. According to the Thai laws, the implementation of the ministerial regulations can only be done once they are published in the Gazette. The regulations are currently on the process of submission to Royal Thai Government Gazette and will surely be implemented within this year.
Malaysia: Tenaganita, a group fighting for humane treatment of Cambodia domestic workers
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 31, 2015 05:43 PMTreating domestic workers as equal human beings is not only required by law, it is humane.
Hong Kong: Indonesian domestic workers keeping their faith
— by IDWFED — last modified Oct 31, 2015 05:31 PMForeign domestic helpers from Indonesia now outnumber those from all other countries in HK. Most Indonesian workers are Islamic followers, but they find that keeping the faith in HK is not always easy, Andrea Deng reports.
Global: "Campaigning for Justice: Human Rights Advocacy in Practice"
— by IDWFED — last modified Nov 01, 2015 05:28 PMIn Jo Becker's new book, Campaigning for Justice: Human Rights Advocacy in Practice, it outlines some of the most innovative human rights campaigns of recent years, and how activists were able to fight seemingly intractable abuses to secure concrete advances in human rights.
Namibia: Domestic workers share their heart-breaking stories in a government commission hearing
— by IDWFED — last modified Nov 01, 2015 05:43 PMThe Namibia Government's Wages Commission on Minimum Wages for Domestic Workers held its final hearings this weekend after 6 months of crowded hearings across one of Africa's largest and most sparsely populated countries. Chaired by former deputy prime minister the Hon Dr Libertina Amathila, the tripartite Commission travelled to the remotest parts of Namibia meeting domestic workers to hear evidence from workers and other interested parties on the wages and working conditions of domestic workers.
Bahrain: Domestic workers in Bahrain excluded from key protections
— by IDWFED — last modified Nov 01, 2015 05:55 PMHuman Rights Watch (HRW), a rights-based organisation, has said that Bahrain — a popular job destination for Nepalis in the Gulf region — is not safe for migrant workers. Hundreds of thousands of mostly South Asian migrant workers in Bahrain face exploitation and abuse, HRW said in its 123-page report "For a Better Life: Migrant Worker Abuse in Bahrain and the Government Reform Agenda".