Review of international experience on protecting rights of domestic workers in selected countries

Millions of domestic workers make an invaluable contribution to our societies, supporting families, workplaces and economies. The vast majority of them are women, whose work remains essential yet often undervalued and unprotected. Their work is often shaped by informal networks without no or limited labour protection as they are excluded from the scope of the Labour laws, exposing them to exploitation and poor working conditions. The large proportion of domestic workers within the informal sector face absence of basic conditions and additional challenges, including low wages, limited access to social security and basic conditions of employment, violence and harassment at the workplace.

The present report is an attempt to provide an overview of international experiences in protecting the rights of domestic workers in selected countries. It tries to understand about the working conditions, labour relations and collective action of domestic workers in selected countries. It also aims to assess the challenges, opportunities, and good practices to protect rights of domestic workers.

The report has been prepared within the framework of the ILO RBSA-funded initiative on ‘Strengthened capacity of constituents to facilitate transition from the informal to the formal economy’ to support the efforts of the constituents in promoting decent work for domestic workers, particularly the Confederation of Trade Unions of Armenia in organizing domestic workers.