After serving as domestic help for 40 years and bearing all abuses, mental torture and harassment at her employer residence, Budhini Devi lodged complaint against her employer for denying monthly wage and also for abduction attempt. Raso Devi, victim of such similar case, is also fighting a legal battle against her employer since 2013 who had allegedly threatened her after labeling theft charges.
Similar other cases related to domestic workers abuse was heard and a plan was drafted out by the jury members to further deal with the cases. These cases are the result of absence of rigorous laws for domestic help. Most of the domestic workers present at Premashay shelter home on Sunday have similar saga to narrate.
As many as 130 domestic workers leaders from five districts of Jharkhand which includes lohardaga, Khunti, Jamshedpur, Bokaro and Ranchi participated in public hearing on atrocities faced by domestic workers by their respective employers. The cases of several domestic workers go unnoticed as there is no stringent legislation for the protection of their rights and privileges.
Approximately on eight cases jury present cited their opinions hearing about the case studies and also gave their opinions on how to proceed with the cases. Renowned social activist and former women commission member Vasvi Kiro, Ranchi University Psychology Professor Renu Diwan, Human Rights activist Shashi Bhushan Pathak, Senior Advocate of Jharkhand HC Rajiv Kumar and Retired District and Session Judge BB Singh was present as the jury members for public hearing.
In 2015, 29 cases of violation against the domestic help have been registered from various places. It is worth noting that 22 nations in the world have already made stringent law for the protection of domestic workers considering all the rules and regulations of International labour Organization discussed in 2011 at Geneva, Switzerland.
22 nations have made the law as per the International labour Organisation Convention-189 for the protection of rights and privileges of domestic help. However, IlO C-189 has yet not been rectified and applied in India to protect the interest of domestic workers which has subsequently resulted in violation of rights and privileges of domestic workers which comes under unorganized sector.
“According to the survey, there are 12 lakhs single women and approximately 35 percent of them work as the domestic workers. Most of them who serve as domestic help are either dalits or tribals and are exploited by their employers in some or the other ways. This is due to the fact that state government has failed to make stringent laws regarding the matter. Many heinous crimes go unnoticed due to the lack of proper laws to protect domestic workers from violation,” Informed Social Activist, Vasvi Kiro.
National Domestic Workers Trust also took the matter to the central government and have organised signature campaign ‘Muhje Pradhan Mantri se milna hai’ in June 2015 with the agenda to gather mass support on the issue of making proper regulation on various rights and privileges of domestic workers.
“The problem also arises as most of us, even those who are educated are not well versed with basic rights of their livelihood and often fall prey to such cases,” said Rajiv Sharma, Senior Advocate of Jharkhand HC.