Problems of maid servent

Group Members: Harshal Dabholkar 38 Ishani 10 Sanket Panwalkar 09 Bhavik Ranka 06

y y y y

Problems of a Maid

INTRODUCTION
y A human rights organization has pointed out that one foreign maid dies every week due to either accident or suicide. It says that 95 foreign maids died last year. 45 committed suicide and 24 out of the remaining 40 had fallen from high buildings. y As a precaution to avoid these problems, the Employment Bureau has implemented many proposals. All those who go abroad for employment are requested to register themselves with the Employment Bureau. They have to get an insurance policy regarding their work. They should go to the Middles East for employment only through the approved agents. y Therefore, the government should take steps to increase the local production and development and should encourage self employment. When there is adequate income and increased job opportunities, the toll of the workers seeking employment abroad can be controlled.

SOME PROBLEMS:

Deductions Delays and deception Rising costs Risks ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION LACK OF LEGAL PROTECTION MISTREATMENT AND VIOLENCE LACK OF ACCESS TO JUSTICE HUMAN TRAFFICKING On Labour Standards On Dispute Resolution

Recommendations
y Regulate agency fees so that relocation costs and service fees are not disproportionately borne by the worker. y Include protection for migrant workers' rights as part of bilateral and multilateral agreements with source countries. y Incorporate a transnational and long-term perspective in policy-setting relating to foreign domestic workers, taking account of needs such as healthcare and contributions towards pension provision. y Introduce a pilot scheme for mediation and dispute resolution services that can liaise independently with the Ministry of Manpower, the police, and other parties involved. y Permit foreign workers to undertake temporary employment while disputes are being investigated.

OTHER PROBLEMS FACED BY DOMESTIC WORKERS AT WORK PLACE

y y y y y y y y y y

The general problems faced by the female domestic servants at work place are as under: i) The domestic workers are not satisfied with their present wages and they expect more. ii) The workers often express their grievances for imposing extra work burden by the employers while guests come. iii) Few employers have a tendency to deduct wage for absence in work. iv) The employers do not permit any extra leave. y v) Many workers face sexual harassment by y their male employers.

Case study
y RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- When 29-year-old Ramani Prianka accepted a job in Saudi Arabia, she thought it would be a pleasant way to earn more money than she could ever make in y her native Sri Lanka. y After all, she would be working indoors -- as a housemaid -- for a well-to-do, educated Saudi couple. He was the manager of a big hospital; she was the principal of a school. y How tough could it be? Very tough, Prianka quickly discovered. The house had 20 rooms and 13 bathrooms, and Prianka, the only maid, was expected to clean every one every day. There were nine children, and Prianka had to wash all their clothes and cook all their food. Seven days a week, she was up at 4:30 a.m. and never got to bed before midnight. All this for the equivalent of $26 a week. y After nine months, depressed and exhausted, Prianka had enough. As the family slept, she sneaked out of the villa, flagged down a taxi and told the driver to take her to the Embassy of the Republic of Sri Lanka. y Prianka was not the only Sri Lankan maid to seek refuge in the embassy's safe house this hot June morning.

A documentary film by Nishtha Jain

y The film is an intimate yet critical look at the bond between an employer and domestic worker in modern-day India, where one's status, relationships and livelihood are often still ordained by the ancient caste system. Like most domestic workers in India, Lakshmi works nonstop--10 hours a day, seven days a week, in six different households. She works without days off, without complaining and without bitterness--all for the paltry monthly pay of 600 rupees or so from each home

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS

Take immediate steps to amend the Labour Law to cover domestic workers and to put in place all necessary measures to ensure its implementation. - To inspect, in the presence of employers and workers, all migrant workers' contracts. - To prohibit mandatory HIV/AIDS-testing of targeted groups. - To automatically inform embassies when their nationals are being detained and to facilitate visits by the relevant consular officials. . * To adopt anti-trafficking legislation and practices to fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking set forth in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act * Continue to enforce the 2008 anti-trafficking law and significantly increase the investigation and prosecution of trafficking offenses, especially those involving forced domestic labor

* Adopt formal procedures for identifying trafficking victims among domestic workers and ensure that victims of trafficking are not punished for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked, such as illegal migration or prostitution * Adopt legal alternatives for victims of trafficking when they face retribution or hardship in their country of origin

When asked the maid servants in our locality, Questions such as:

What is your daily routine ? What are the problems that you face in your daily life? Are you Subject to any mental/ physical harassments? Does the monthly wages, satisfy your basic needs? Does your proprietor dominates you? On an overall statistics taken by 5 maids in our locality namely: 1 Savita Deshmukh 2 Shakuntala 3 Ismatra 4 Venubai & 5 Rukmani Iyer following data was found to be common with majority: Washing clothes and utensils 176 (93.62) 02 (1.06) 10 (5.32) Water collection 185 (98.40) 01 (0.54) 02 (1.06) Fuel collection 105 (55.85) 60 (31.91) 23 (12.24)

Food preparation 188 (100.00) 0 (0) 0 (0) Maintenance of house 57 (30.32) 71 (37.77) 60 (31.91) Childcare 176 (93.62) 08 (4.26) 04 (2.12) Table 1: Level of participation in own household task by domestic workers Figures in the parentheses are percentages. Only thika and full time workers were considered. Table 2: Daily work profile of female domestic workers 5.00 a.m-Rises 5.30 a.m-Takes breakfast 6.00 a.m-Goes to work place and 6.30 a.m-does domestic tasks 7.00 a.m-Helps in cooking at work place 8.00 a.m-Does other work at work place 10.00 a.m-Returns home 12.00 noon-Helps mother at home 1.30 p.m-Takes food at work place 2.30 p.m-Washes utensils and sweeps rooms 3.30 p.m-Returns home 5.00 p.m-Helps mother at home 7.00 p.m-Takes food 8.00 p.m-Goes to bed 9.00 p.m-Rises Fetches water and cleans own house Feeds children

Prepares breakfast for family Goes to work place-1 and washes utensils,clothes, cleans rooms Takes breakfast at work place Goes to work place-2 and does work Attends work place-3 and does work Returns home and cook for the family, Takes rest,Washes utensils and sweeps rooms Returns home and washes clothes,Prepares food and feeds the children,Takes food,Goes to bed,Rises Fetches water for family Prepares breakfast for family Attends work place-1 and takes breakfast. Does domestic work at work place Prepares food at work place Goes to work place-2 and prepares food Returns home Takes rest Takes food at work place Returns home Interacts with neighbour Takes food Goes to bed --

CONCLUSION

Reports of abuse and mistreatment against female migrant domestic workers have continued to surface in local newspapers and from foreign embassies since the 2008 report. According to the Labor Ministry, 322 domestic workers ran away from their sponsors in 2009. In the first five months of 2010 another 42 fled their sponsors.

Our Motive through this presentation is to create an awareness about the problems caused by such population of our society. And our urge is to thank these maid servants, as we belive that a pleasant smile on their face which could bring their deteriorating conditions to standstill.