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June 16, 2022

Celebrations all around for International Domestic Workers Day (IDWD)

How can you support your fellow migrants working as Domestic Workers today?

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How can you support your fellow migrants working as Domestic Workers today?

The celebrations continue here in SaverAsia with another day of honouring our hard-working and dedicated Domestic Workers around the world. This 16 June 2022 marks the 12 year anniversary of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 189 for Decent Work for Domestic Workers. This international law is a win for domestic workers around the globe in their fight for better rights and treatments as equals to other professions.

Today we celebrate the 75.6 million domestic workers (2021) that make up 4.5% of employees around the world. They are the workers behind every other worker in our societies today. They are the foundation that provides support to many homes and households, providing unrelenting care and dedication to service families that employ them while longing for their own families back home.

There are many sacrifices that are unseen to many of these migrant workers and their fight for recognition as essential service providers despite the legalisation of ILO 189. This year, let us support them and each other by participating in the many ways we can.

Watch the ‘Webinar: Resilience and Sustainability: Domestic Workers Organizing through the Pandemic and Beyond’ from the International Domestic Workers Federation

The International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF) is the first and only global union federation led by and made up primarily of women. It has members of domestic and household workers from over 54 countries working together to protect and advance domestic workers’ rights globally.

Last 13 June 2022, IDWF held a webinar to celebrate IDWD 2022 where they had domestic workers as guest speakers who shared their experiences throughout the pandemic. They discussed the different ways officials, governments, employers, and communities help protect domestic workers, especially during the global pandemic and its lasting impact on the economy and society.

Share the IDWF’s Domestic Work Policy Brief and Global Position Paper with officials, governments, and employers

The IDWF has put together a policy brief that provides recommendations to policy makers, employers and international organizations on how to support domestic workers in response to the devastations of COVID-19 to their health, job security, economy and many other areas. It has also written a Position Paper to list the demands of the domestic workers to improve labour laws and protection of their rights to move away from conditions of modern slavery. 

Join Hand in Hand and sign the petition for a US National Domestic Workers Bill of Rights

Hand in Hand: The Domestic Employers Network is a national network of employers of nannies, housecleaners and home attendants in the US. They are working for working conditions that preserve the dignity and respect that will benefit domestic workers and their employers.

Their petition has won in 9 states and 2 cities, which is aiming to improve the minimum wage, safety and health , anti-discrimination and other rights of over 2 million domestic workers in the US.

Join the IDWD celebrations in the Team TAYO Facebook Group for Filipino Domestic Workers

Team TAYO is an online learning community who help Filipino Domestic Workers live at their best: physically, mentally and financially. They provide a Facebook Group where you can meet friends from all over the world, and an app to improve your financial literacy.

On 22 June 2022, Team TAYO will be hosting a Co-LAB (webinar) to celebrate IDWD where you can learn from other members about different topics and hear their stories. Join their Facebook Group to sign-up to the Co-LAB and future events.

We hope that you find meaningful ways to support your fellow migrants who are domestic workers. And if you have a friend or family member who works as a domestic worker, don’t forget to share the activities above to show your support!

Happy International Domestic Workers Day!

 

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Written by Malorie Anne Manaois (15 June 2022)