Protecting Domestic Workers Worldwide

A panel of experts discuss the immediate and long-term implications of the new Domestic Workers Convention that was adopted by the International Labor Organization (ILO) this June. This forum aims to raise awareness on the treaty and its provisions and serve as a platform to initiate a discussion of its implementation.

The adoption of this landmark Convention marks a milestone in the decades-long struggle for the rights of one of the most vulnerable groups of workers. Domestic workers are the largest group of workers who are excluded from labor laws and the right to organize. ILO members spent three years developing the Convention to address the routine exclusion of domestic workers from labor protections guaranteed to other workers, such as weekly days off, limits to hours of work, and a minimum wage. The new standards oblige governments to protect domestic workers from violence and abuse, and to ensure effective monitoring and enforcement.

Panelists

• Noorashikin Abdul Rahman, a volunteer with Transient Workers Count Too
• Priscilla Gonzalez, Executive Director of Domestic Workers United
• Luna Ranjit, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Adhikaar
• Nisha Varia, Senior Researcher with Human Rights Watch (moderator)

This event is sponsored by the Open Society Foundations’ International Migration Initiative and U.S. Programs, along with Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, and the New York Women’s Foundation.