Awareness of domestic workers’ rights in Bangladesh rose from 12% in 2019 to 74% in 2025, while their capacity to negotiate wages more than doubled during the same period, according to the final evaluation of a seven-year project aimed at strengthening their rights.
The evaluation also found an increase in written employment arrangements, from 8% to 28%, highlighting progress in domestic workers’ awareness and bargaining capacity, although speakers at a national event in Dhaka said significant challenges remain in ensuring their rights and dignity.
The findings were presented at the day-long national event Hands That Hold Homes: Rights, Resilience and the Future of Domestic Workers, organized by Oxfam in Bangladesh on Wednesday.
The event marked seven years of the Securing Rights for Women Domestic Workers in Bangladesh (SUNITI) project, implemented from 2019 to 2026 by Oxfam in Bangladesh and its partners with support from Global Affairs Canada.
Pushpita Saha of Oxfam Canada presented the findings of the project’s final evaluation in the second session, moderated by Tarek Aziz of Oxfam in Bangladesh.
According to the evaluation, awareness of domestic workers’ rights increased from 12% in 2019 to 74% in 2025. Their wage-negotiation capacity rose from 23% to 61%, while written employment arrangements increased from 8% to 28%.
The evaluation also found that 41% of surveyed domestic workers reported receiving higher wages, with their average monthly income increasing by Tk850.
Despite the progress, speakers said low wages, long working hours, workplace harassment, inadequate social protection and limited recognition of domestic work as dignified labour continue to affect workers.
Speaking as chief guest, Md Humayun Kabir, additional secretary at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, said the government alone could not fully ensure workers’ rights, including those of domestic workers.
“It is not possible for the government alone to go from house to house and monitor whether the rights of child workers are being ensured. Everyone in society needs to come forward in this regard,” he said.
He said the government had developed short-, medium- and long-term plans to implement recommendations of the Labour Reform Commission.
Work to update the Labour Rules in line with the amended Labour Act has also progressed significantly, he added.
Former adviser to the caretaker government Rasheda K Choudhury said legal and policy reforms would not be sufficient unless social attitudes also changed.
“We may change many things, but unless we change our mindset, meaningful change will not happen. Why can I not recognise the domestic worker in my home as a co-worker?” she said.
She also called for stronger childcare facilities for working mothers and greater access to social protection for domestic workers.
Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, former chairman of the Labour Reform Commission and executive director of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies, said recognition of domestic workers in the amended Labour Act was an important step but remained partial.
He said organizing domestic workers and strengthening their leadership were among SUNITI’s key achievements, adding that these structures needed to be strengthened further.
“We have not yet fully secured any of the rights of women domestic workers. Even the law we obtained in 2026 provides only partial recognition. So, just as we have come a long way, there is still a long journey ahead,” he said.
Jane Palmer, acting head of cooperation at Global Affairs Canada, said SUNITI had helped strengthen domestic workers’ skills, confidence and ability to organise collectively.
Neeran Ramjuthan, program manager at the International Labour Organization’s Bangladesh office, said Bangladesh had created an important foundation for bringing domestic workers from largely invisible and informal employment towards stronger legal protection.
Farah Kabir, country director of ActionAid Bangladesh, said attitudes towards domestic workers had yet to change sufficiently and stressed the need to prevent children from entering domestic work.
Anil Pant, interim country director of Oxfam in Bangladesh, said legal implementation must go hand in hand with social recognition, respect and dignity for domestic workers.
The opening session featured remarks from Zakia Sultana, president of the Domestic Workers National Forum-Bangladesh, while Mahmuda Sultana, program director at Oxfam in Bangladesh, presented the project’s journey, achievements, learning and future priorities.
The event also saw the launch of the project’s flagship publication, which brings together seven years of evidence, policy analysis, learning and 10 stories from the lives of women domestic workers.
The afternoon dialogue, From Recognition to a Secure Future: Rights, Worker Leadership, Decent Work and Partnerships, focused on implementation of the amended Labour Act, social protection, grievance and remedy systems, skills recognition, employer accountability and stronger worker leadership.
The final session, Voices of Resilience, featured stories, cultural expression, learning and commitments for the future.
The event was moderated by Md Sariful Islam, head of Influencing, Communications, Advocacy and Media at Oxfam in Bangladesh.