Rights Of Domestic Workers In India : A Step Towards Developing A Comprehensive Regulatory Framework

Abstract

Domestic Work has always been one of the oldest occupations among women all over the world. Over the decades as immigration laws have become less robust; it has led to a positive effect on overseas migration which has adhered to a steady growth in migration from developing nations to developed countries in search of job. Not only this, a tendency of migration from the rural areas to the urban centres of economic prosperity has also risen. Therefore Paid Domestic has emerged as an activity which accounts for the increasing number of migrant women in developed and developing countries. The backdrop against the domestic work is not restricted to the abundance of rural labour in urban sphere but it is also the by-product of an increasing income inequality in the countries. As an unorganized sector, unlike the other occupations falling under this sphere, domestic work is a profession the basis of which is formed by personal ties and relations. It does not require a separate on the job training or understanding of work as it is viewed as a mere extension of work done by the women at their houses to the houses of their employers. Therefore to set it at a professional plane becomes objectively difficult for both the employers and employees. Thus when matters regarding rights and entitlements, which are very common for a labour is raised in case of domestic workers, it is thought to be unnecessary. Even though the problems that employers face with regard to their specific domestic workers are widely discussed among and with their peers but these discussions never make it to the public discourse. Thus the following study provides impetus for delving into the question of the importance of rights for the domestic workers as it tries to identify the strength and gaps in policies in order to develop a framework than will ultimately secure the rights of the domestic workers.