The Hindu : Separate policy for women domestic workers sought

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 07, 2003

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Separate policy for women domestic workers sought

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI DEC. 6. The National Commission of Women has called for a separate policy to deal with women domestic workers, and is supporting a public interest litigation on issues relating to domestic workers' rights.

The PIL, filed before the Supreme Court by a non-governmental organisation, Human Rights Initiative, is seeking special schemes for those employed as domestic workers.

The NCW on Friday set out the issues that it would pursue before the court. These include stipulating a mandatory weekly holiday, national holidays and two weeks off on full pay in a year for domestic workers.

Besides medical assistance should be provided for all accidents or injuries caused because of and during work, as well as full pay for time off as a result. Among the other things, the NCW has asked for maternity benefits and the provision for provident fund for domestic workers.

It has also recommended that they be given identity cards.

The NCW chairperson, Poornima Advani, said that there were increasing complaints of sexual harassment and sexual attacks on domestic workers and police were mostly unwilling to record or pursue their complaints. In their application to the Supreme Court, the NCW has asked it to direct the police to register complaints/FIRs in respect of criminal offences committed on domestic workers and to pursue all such cases in accordance with the law.

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