UN Youth Chamption to interact with young domestic workers

New Delhi (ILO News) - UN Youth Champion, Monique Coleman will meet with young domestic workers on 8 April 2011. Facilitated by the ILO, the interaction is scheduled for Friday, 1000-1230 hrs at the ILO Office, India Habitat Centre, Lodi Road, New Delhi.

Ms. Coleman is visiting India as part of a world tour, where she seeks to raise awareness of the challenges facing young people, highlight the positive contributions they make to their communities, and promote the UN’s global observance of the International Year of Youth. She was appointed UN Youth Champion to promote International Year of Youth.

Young women from villages and tribal areas form an overwhelmingly large proportion of domestic workers in urban India. Due to lack of formal recognition to the skills and training avenues, their work is not considered as real work. To professionalize domestic work, promote better wages and working conditions, ILO has collaborated with the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and Delhi Government to deliver pilot training programmes to offer training and recognized certification to skill, re-skill domestic workers whilst offering them a career path. So far 450 young women have benefited from the training across Delhi. Some of them will share their experiences, hopes and aspirations with Ms. Coleman during this interaction. (Programme attached for ready reference.)

Monique’s tour is intended to provide opportunities for interaction with youth in an attempt to give a voice to young people, to mobilize them as actors for development, positive social change and technical innovation, and at the same time to promote the Millennium Development Goals.

Monique Coleman is well known for her role in the movie series High School Musical in which she plays Taylor McKessie. She also had a role in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, as a school girl named Mary-Margaret.

Ms. Coleman competed in the third edition of ABC's Dancing with the Stars, finishing in fourth place. She also hosts an online talk show Gimme MO on important issues confronting young people.

For further information and interview requests please contact:

Neelam Agnihotri neelam@ilo.org

mobile + 91 9810704633

.