Dr.(Mrs.) Charu WaliKhanna, Member, NCW was Chief Guest “Domestic Workers’ Day - Celebrating Anniversary of ILO Convention 189”. On 17th June the first anniversary of the historical event was celebrated by Domestic Workers’ Forum in collaboration with Caritas India, Nirmala Niketan & ISI with the reaffirmation “Domestic work is work, Domestic Workers and Domestic Work is Not Slavery”. 

In the welcome address the significance of the Day was explained. 

Rtv. His Grace Rev. Vincent M. Concessao- Archbishop of Delhi Archdiocese gave the gathering his blessings and guidance. He said that domestic workers are not given te importance they deserve and they are doing the most important work i.e. “serving others.” 
Ms. Saadya Hamdani, Gender Specialist, made a power point presentation. Stating that ILO promotes social justice through decent work for all. She told the audience that on June 16, 2011 at the 100th International Labour Conference, Geneva the International Labour Organisation adopted Convention 189 (C189) that talks about “Decent Work for Domestic Workers”. It is for the first time in the history, that the Domestic Workers and their works are recognised. The C189 recognizes the need for the reinvention of the way our societies view domestic work. This C 189 also gives due importance in the long struggle for women’s rights. It is a step towards remedying long standing stereotypes and inequalities by setting minimum standards of employment and affording due consideration of the feminization of this workforces. Ms. Saadya Hamdani also stressed on the need for setting minimum standards and social security domestic workers. 

Dr. (Mrs.) Charu WaliKhanna, Chief Guest speaking on the occasion said that the Constitution of India guaranteed the right to equality irrespective of caste, creed, gender. and each person had the right to work with dignity. She said unfortunately, domestic work is most often not regarded as ‘real’ work. Domestic workers are tagged as ‘maids’, ‘servants’ and ‘helpers’, and a stigma accompanies this tag lowering their self-esteem. She said that undoubtedly, there is a significant shift as awareness and recognition have allowed society to change their perceptions, but simultaneously there is a need for Domestic Workers to be aware of their rights and entitlements. The empowerment of domestic workers and the struggle for fair working condition has clearly led to a shift in attitudes by some employers and domestic workers are valued as an employees. She stressed that the term ‘domestic worker’ itself aims to give dignity, status and respect for the occupation. 

Dr. Charu WaliKhanna said that the National Commission for Women is seriously concerned about the issue specially in view of the fact that a large number of domestic workers are women and prone to abuse, exploitation and being trafficked. She also informed the gathering of over 1000 domestic workers that the National Commission for Women had included ‘domestic workers’ as ‘workers’ and ‘dwelling house’ as ‘workplace’ in the Bill for Protection of Women from Sexual Harassment at Work place. 
Mr. Ramakant Goswamy, Minister for Labour, Govt. Of Delhi was unable to attend and his message was displayed on the screen. 

The mood of the program was lightened with a folk dance and concluded with a vote of thanks.

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