Women Domestic Workers

Domestic workers are those who sweep, wash, cook and take care of their employer’s every need. Many women are engaged in such work in order to earn a living to meet their family needs. But routine harassment and exploitation of domestic workers working for well-to-do families is increasing day by day.

In Nagaland, several girls, who worked in rich homes, have horrific life accounts of their stay in these homes. A local girl was subject to sexual abuse for over a year by her employer (who is an officer) living in Dimapur. Though everyone in the house knew what was happening but remained silent. Finally, the employer’s mother helped the girl escape from the house. Another girl maid who was ill-treated by the employer managed to escape from the house was always subject to the most brutal form of torture. The employers sear the girl’s ear with hot copper coil if she committed a mistake, while pinching her skin was a regular thing. The girl was not allowed to eat her meals on time and was never given enough to eat.

The issue of domestic workers has not been taken into account on a broader perspective. The factors responsible for the emergence of such a huge number of domestic workers are not concentrating on properly and the issue of their rights has also taken a backseat.