2016 is the fifth anniversary of our victory at the ILO for decent work for domestic workers! Since then, 22 countries have ratified C189, nearly 50 countries have implemented improvements in domestic worker legal protections, impacting over 15 million domestic workers. This year, we will re-launch the IDWF/ILO "My Fair Home " campaign, a wake-up call to our community, in particularly employers to say "yes" to the C189!

What will you do around the 5th Anniversary of C189?

Tell us how to make this campaign a success in your country and everywhere! Let us know on IDWF Facebook or in IDWF Communication Network.

In March, representatives of IDWF brought the voices and leadership of domestic workers to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW60) meeting in New York.

Read the remarks of Jill Shenker, IDWF North America Coordinator; Shirley Pryce, President of Jamaica Household Workers Union and Allison Julien, a domestic worker from New York, USA.

In Guinea, domestic workers of the union, SYNEM rallied to pressure the government to ratify C189. In Tanzania, CHODAWU celebrated Women's Day in one of the rural districts, Iringa, where many domestic workers and child domestic workers are recruited to migrate and work. In Ghana, the Domestic Service Workers Union held a workshop where General Secretary Esther Kosi highlighted the issue of maternity leave for domestic workers. 

IDWF and Home Workers’ Union of Nepal (HUN) are conducting training and discussions with domestic workers in Nepal to gather input on how to include concrete and full legal protection for domestic workers in the adoption of the Labour Act of Nepal.

This year, the sector of the "dienstencheques", which is the legalized Belgian domestic workers sector, will organize social elections in their companies. The social elections are a process for the "dienstencheques" workers to elect their job stewards for the next 4 years. This Belgian job stewards structure could be a model for domestic workers all over the world by showing how to create a support system and a strong women's network. 

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - CARIBBEAN
Marching on March 8

Members of CIMTRA, UNISIMA & ATH were marching on March 8 in Santo Domingo asking for women's rights and equality.

On March 30, Domestic Workers throughout Latin America raised their voices, marched and celebrated the International Day of Domestic Workers. This day was established in 1988 by the Latin American and Caribbean Confederation of Domestic Workers (CONLACTRAHO) to raise awareness and celebrate achievements in the region. Ernestina Ochoa, Vice-President of the IDWF shared her message (in Spanish) through social networks and reminds us that "Today we raise our voices for the rights of all domestic workers in Latin America, and the whole world'.

USA - NORTH AMERICA
Victory in Massachusetts!

NDWA Affiliate, Matahari, protected au pairs rights and the domestic workers' law! On March 14, domestic worker leaders from Matahari attended a State House hearing on H.B. 4053, a bill that sought to exclude au pairs from the Massachusetts Domestic Workers’ Law, passed in 2014. It aimed to take away critical labor rights and protections from this group of domestic workers, creating an underclass of childcare providers, and undercutting the childcare industry as a whole.

 

CAPACITY BUILDING RESOURCE
Domestic Worker Organizing Toolbox

The National Domestic Workers Alliance (USA) recently unveiled the Domestic Worker Organizing Toolbox, a brand new organizing hub website for it’s affiliates, and available to IDWF affiliates as well. It is an incredible resource filled with a wide range of tools to support domestic worker organizations in achieving growth and impact. There are sections on outreach, campaigning, program design, communications, research, digital organizing, and more! Visit the website at organizing.domesticworkers.org. Note that in the United States, domestic workers are excluded from the right to form trade unions, so the toolkit lacks resources about trade union formation.