Impact and people
2021
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ILO in action: We help migrant domestic workers overcome their vulnerability to the pandemic
15 December 2021
ILO Senior Labour Migration Specialist, Gloria Moreno-Fontes, speaks from Pretoria about the Southern Africa Migration Management (SAMM) Project, which aims to improve migration management in the Southern Africa and Indian Ocean region. The project is funded by the European Commission and implemented by the ILO in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
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From migrant worker to labour unionist
21 April 2021
Learning from her exploitative experiences as a migrant domestic worker, Dina Nuriyati has become a tireless labour advocate and unionist, promoting better protection and services for Indonesian migrant workers in all cycles of migration.
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© KB Mpofu / ILO 2022
A vision for domestic workers
03 March 2021
Mendy Lerato Lusaba, founder of the Domestic Workers Association of Zimbabwe and winner of the ILO Skills Innovation Challenge, has big plans to improve the life of domestic workers in her country. Read her story on our new Voices multimedia platform.
2018
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“Thank you Soma”: ILO documentary explores relationship between migrant domestic workers and Arab youth
18 December 2018
On the occasion of International Migrants Day, the ILO premieres a new documentary that aims to challenge common perceptions about migrant domestic workers.
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Recognizing the rights of domestic workers
23 August 2018
Domestic workers are one of the groups most vulnerable to exploitation, violence, harassment, and forced labour. International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition reminds us that many women end up being trapped in abusive work situations which in some cases may amount to modern forms of slavery.
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Poverty leads children from Madagascar to work in dangerous conditions
12 June 2018
World Day Against Child Labour focuses this year on hazardous child labour and safe work for youth of legal working age. Almost half of the 152 million victims of child labour – 73 million – toil in hazardous work. In Madagascar, children in child labour in brickmaking and in domestic work, are among those who need to be protected.
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“Change starts in your mind”: How Tsehay Berhane found an alternative to migration
07 May 2018
Migrants – mostly women – account for more than 80 per cent of domestic workers in the Arab states, which is the highest percentage globally.
2017
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How better skills can boost recognition of domestic work
31 August 2017
An ILO training course gives Indonesian domestic workers the opportunity to gain a nationally recognized certificate and aims to raise the status of the profession.
2015
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© B. Patel / ILO 2022
Labour migration: The dark side of the coin
29 July 2015
A new ILO study exposes the pitfalls of labour migration for women domestic workers both within India and abroad and provides policy-makers and service providers with deeper insight into the nature of forced labour and trafficking in the region.
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'I dared to ask'
16 June 2015
One woman’s courage led to greater protection for domestic workers in South Africa. Her struggle illustrates the challenges faced by all vulnerable workers.