All news: domestic workers

Domestic Workers

Giving rights to millions of domestic workers in Pakistan

Promoting Gender Equality for Pakistan, an ILO project funded by the Canadian government, is working with tripartitie partners in Punjab to bring rights and recognition to domestic workers.

Domestic Workers

Lebanon: What challenges for Domestic Workers?

The first Domestic Workers‘ Union in Lebanon was launched in January. More than 220,000 domestic workers face many challenges in Lebanon. Anna Biondi, Deputy Director of the ILO Bureau for Workers ‘Activities (ACTRAV), gives her views about the...

New ILO's standards will help 21.5 million domestic workers

The Regional Model Competency Standards (RMCS) for Domestic Work will help more than 20 million domestic worker in Asia and the Pacific if ASEAN regional integration ensures the mutual recognition of skills of workers across borders, according to...

Domestic workers' rights: Let's keep the momentum

More than 5.24 million domestic workers live in Africa. Around 70 per cent of domestic workers across Africa are women. Very few of the estimated 53 million domestic workers worldwide are covered by labour laws.

Opening address at the workshop on adopting a roadmap to eliminate child labour in domestic work in the Philippines

By Mr Lawrence Jeff Johnson, Director of the ILO Country Office for the Philippines at the workshop on adopting a roadmap to eliminate child labour in domestic work in the Philippines, Makati City, Philippines, 19 January 2015

First Domestic Workers’ Trade Union registered in Pakistan

Enhancing rights at work. The first ever trade union for domestic workers in Pakistan has been registered in Lahore by the Department of Labour Punjab, under the Industrial Relations Act 2010. This marks an important step in recognising and...

Domestic workers

Finland ratifies the Domestic Workers Convention (No. 189)

Finland is the 17th ILO member State and the fifth European country to ratify this instrument, which seeks to improve the working and living conditions of tens of millions of domestic workers worldwide.

No one should work this way

Ending the abuse of domestic workers in Asia

Although there are more than 52 million domestic workers world-wide, including more than 21 million in Asia Pacific, only a small minority are covered by general labour laws. This lack of protection leaves them vulnerable to – sometimes terrible –...

Decent Work for Domestic Workers

ILO gathers regional and international stakeholders to explore establishing migrant domestic worker cooperatives in the Middle East

Domestic worker cooperatives have been set up in many places around the world, but they do not exist in any of the Arab States. A recent study launched by the ILO looks into the cases of Lebanon, Jordan and Kuwait, to see if the region is ready for...

A New Platform Created Spaces for Information Exchange and Empowerment of Domestic and Migrant Domestic Workers

A new Knowledge Sharing Platform was designed and hosted on the International Domestic Workers Federation’s (IDWF) website with the support of the EU funded Global Action Programme on Migrant Domestic Workers and their Families (GAP-MDW). The...

Argentina

New law leads to new life for migrant domestic workers

After decades of labor organizing and with the support of the ILO, Argentina has passed a new migration policy to make life better for domestic workers.

Trade unions to promote decent work for domestic workers and elimination of child domestic labor

Key trade unions representatives from 11 countries will gather at the Regional Trade Union Workshop in Yogyakarta, to discuss innovative ways to reduce child domestic labor through the promotion of decent work for domestic workers.

Domestic worker

No one should work this way – ending the abuse of Asian domestic workers

There are more than 52 million domestic workers worldwide but the vast majority are unprotected by labour laws. This leaves them open to – sometimes terrible – abuse and exploitation. The journalist Karen Emmons worked with the photographer Steve...

Domestic workers

FCCT to exhibit Steve McCurry photos of abused domestic workers

An exhibition of photos of abused domestic workers by American photographer Steve McCurry will open at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand (FCCT) on 21 November 2014.

Domestic workers

Switzerland ratifies the Domestic Workers Convention (No. 189)

Switzerland is the 16th ILO member State and the fourth European country to ratify this instrument, which seeks to improve the working and living conditions of more than 53 million domestic workers worldwide.

Domestic Workers

Decent Work for Domestic Workers

ILO calls for continued action to protect migrant domestic workers in Lebanon as its EU-Swiss development agency funded project comes to a close.

Decent Work for Domestic Workers

ILO showcases challenges and opportunities in making decent work a reality for migrant domestic workers in Arab states

The ILO’s flagship projects on labour migration and decent work for domestic workers in the Arab States gathered regional and international stakeholders at a technical workshop to showcase the challenges, opportunities and outcomes stemming from...

Workers Organizations from Zimbabwe, Lesotho and South Africa signed a Declaration Promoting Labour and Human Rights of Migrant Domestic...

Trade unions and domestic workers’ organizations from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Lesotho signed a joint declaration at the tri-national workshop in Johannesburg organized by the EU funded Global Action Programme on Migrant Domestic Workers and Their...

Bi-national Agreement Promoting Decent Work for Migrant Domestic Workers in Paraguay-Argentina Migration Corridor

Domestic workers’ organizations and trade union confederations from Paraguay and Argentina signed a bi-national agreement in order to promote decent work for Paraguayan migrant domestic workers in Argentina. This was the main output of a bi-national...

Press release

Decent Work for Migrant Domestic Workers side event

The side event “Decent Work for Migrant Domestic Workers” of the 21 session of The Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families co-hosted by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for...