Domestic Workers Organizing for Legal Change in Asia IDWF

While there are more domestic workers in Asia than in any other region in the world, organizing in this sector is comparatively recent. In this episode, Fish Ip, the regional coordinator of the International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF) in Asia, explains how the IDWF organizes domestic workers and shares insights on why governments are slow to ratify the ILO’s international convention for domestic workers, C189.

Though domestic workers play an essential role in meeting the direct and indirect care needs of households across Asia, almost two-thirds remain excluded from national labor laws.  Rebecca Napier Moore, the Technical Officer at the International Labour Organisation joins us to discuss “the good, bad, and ugly” about laws and policies for domestic workers in the region and some of the social, economic, and political developments reshaping the legal landscape across Asia.  

In Hong Kong an estimated 400,000 migrant domestic workers play a critical role in keeping the global city running. Despite being covered by many of the same labor protections as local workers, migrant workers face a range of challenges in seeking redress for abusive working conditions. In this episode union leaders Jec, FADWU general secretary, and Sarah, Vice President of the Union of Nepalese Domestic Workers in Hong Kong, discuss domestic worker protections and entitlements in Hong Kong.

In 2017, domestic workers (DW) were included in two major pieces of legislation in Nepal: the Labour Act & the Social Security Act. But convincing municipalities to provide the resources needed to register DWs & to expand social security coverage to DW is a struggle. In this episode, Gyanu Kshatri, general secretary of the Home Based Workers Union in Nepal, talks about the strategies they use to combat stigma & ensure that domestic work is recognized as work!

The Philippines is the only Asian country to ratify C189. And in 2013, the Philippines passed the Domestic Workers Act. What does it take to translate legal victories into real change in workers’ lives? Himaya, the general secretary of the United Domestic Workers Union in the Philippines, unpacks the key features of the law, the role of local governments, and the strategies the union uses to support workers in navigating practical challenges.

Domestic workers in Indonesia have spent more than two decades fighting for legislation to protect their rights. Their key challenge is how to build political will among parliamentarians who benefit from the status quo as employers of domestic workers. In this episode, Lita Anggraini, the co-founder and national coordinator of the National Network for Domestic Workers Advocacy, known as JALA PRT, discusses some of the mobilization and advocacy strategies they’ve used over the years.