The Hindu : New Delhi News : Urgent need to revamp servant verification plan

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Saturday, Mar 15, 2008
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New Delhi

Urgent need to revamp servant verification plan

The programme can be successful only if it is made mandatory, says Ashok Kumar

Frequent incidents of domestic helps drugging their employers and sometimes even resorting to murder with the intent to loot have raised serious concerns over the efficacy of the servant verification programme of the Delhi police.

Introduced a couple of years ago to combat a steep increase in crime involving domestic helps, the programme has failed miserably to win approval of the masses because of a multitude of factors thus calling for an urgent need to revamp. The absence of any surveillance on the activities of placement agencies has complicated matters further.

“The programme has failed to produce the desired results because of a host of factors, the first and foremost being that it is not mandatory. It is not a law, and therefore if you do not get your servant verified you cannot be prosecuted. Second, even if it was made mandatory, it could not have been enforced completely with law enforcement being what it is,” says People’s Action president Sanjay Kaul.

Besides, some social issues are also involved. Many people are not comfortable with the idea of getting their servants verified. They feel awkward telling their servants that they are getting them verified by the police. Some servants themselves do not want the police to visit their village and harass their families. Above all, verification itself is a highly complex process not directly under the control of the Delhi police. Verification applications are sent back to the village wherever the person comes from and if law enforcement is so pathetic in the Capital one can well imagine its state in the rest of the country.

Hiring a domestic help, especially a Nepalese or Bangladeshi, is even more fraught with danger as the credentials of such people cannot be verified since India does not have any arrangement with these countries. In the absence of an extradition pact, domestic helps cannot be arrested if they return to their country after committing a crime in India. The programme can be successful only if servant verification is made mandatory, law enforcement is improved, social barriers are broken and it is ensured that the process does not involve any harassment. So long as these factors are not addressed, things will not change.

“My suggestion is that anyone seeking employment in the Capital must already be registered with a government agency whether it is the police, the licensing department or any other department. The onus should be on the person looking for a job to get himself registered. When he comes to you seeking a job, he should have a work permit and an identity card. I think it is a much easier and practical way,” says Mr. Kaul.

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