“I can't sleep without my mother at night. I felt so alone when I was with my grandparents...I missed my mother a lot. I don't want to stay with anyone else except for my mother,” said five-year-old Faria, the daughter of a domestic help named Happy.
Happy, a mother of two, is working as a domestic worker in Dhaka's Zigatola area. She wakes up early in the morning and works till late at night. Her children face many problems when she is not at home.
“I used to keep my children in a daycare centre during working hours, but unfortunately it was not a good idea. My son was only 8 months old and he used to cry a lot. I could not tolerate their pain. My husband is a hawker. He earns a little but spends all his time at work. This is why I have to raise my children and continue my job,” Happy explained.
She also said: “My daughter goes to a madrasa. I had kept her in my native village so my parents could take good care of her. I feel more worried about my girl child rather than my son. Our society is not safe for girls to be alone. I brought her back to Dhaka. I want my daughter to complete her education because I did not get this opportunity. I want my children to have a privileged life. This is all I want from my life.”
The tradition of employing domestic workers as helping hands in household activities is an old practice in Bangladesh. The number of domestic workers is increasing with the increase in the need for domestic support for various reasons, including fewer people living with joint families.
The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that approximately 100 million people around the world work in households. In Bangladesh, the number of domestic workers is over 10.5 million, at least 80% of whom are female. There is a large concentration of women working in low-quality and precarious jobs, with over 90% working in the informal sector.
Nazma Yesmin, director of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), said: “Domestic workers are not included in the Bangladesh Labor Act 2006. They need to be included. Domestic workers play an important role in our day-to-day life. It is high time we talk about underage domestic workers. There is no institutional safety system for these children. Moreover, it is difficult for a woman to leave her girl child alone at home. The slum area is not safe for any children in Bangladesh.”
According to BILS, around 96% of surveyed domestic workers know nothing about labour law. Up to 99% of them do not know about the Domestic Workers Protection and Welfare Policy, 2015.
Dhaka TribuneAccording to the Activities and Achievement Report of Domestic Workers' Rights Network Bangladesh (DWRN), the number of domestic workers is increasing each day. A significant proportion of domestic workers are female, accounting for approximately 78%. In contrast, male domestic workers account for approximately 22%.
DWRN Coordinator (In-charge) Abul Hossain said: “Domestic workers have no child care centres. They are facing many problems with caring for their children. The government needs to provide child care centres for the domestic workers.”
Besides, there are a huge number of child domestic workers who work at people's houses due to poverty. Poverty is certainly the greatest single force driving children into the workplace. Income from a child's work is considered crucial for his/her own survival or that of the household.
A mother of four, Parul, also works as a domestic worker in the Zigatola area. Jim, 3, is her youngest daughter, who always stays with her mother at the workplace. There is no one to take care of Jim at home as Parul's husband is a rickshaw puller.
Jim said she does not want to come to her mother's workplace. “I want to stay with my mother at home. I don't want to come here.”
Parul's eldest son is also working as a domestic worker. Parul said: “My son used to study in a madrasa but he had to quit as I could not bear the expenses. I need more money to run my family. This is why I have sent my elder son to work.”
Her third child, a 6-year-old girl, is studying in a primary school. Parul said: “Even if my son stays at home when I am at work, I cannot do this with my daughter. I am afraid to leave my daughter in the slum. I feel insecure. This is why I have sent my elder daughter to school.”
On this matter, BILS Director Yesmin said: “Every parent is very concerned about their girl child. There is a tendency for domestic workers to push their children into the same occupation. They have a lack of education. They also suffer from poverty, so they can't afford educational expenses.”
DWRN's Hossain said: “Domestic workers send their girl child to people's houses for their safety. However, they are not safe there either. Young and teenage girls should not be sent as domestic workers.”
He added: “Every child should have access to education since it's their basic right. Children of domestic workers should be given this scope too.”
