Domestic workers: 51 cases of violence against child girls unearthed across Punjab

LAHORE: A total 51 cases of violence against domestic workers were identified and all the victims were girls, revealed a report issued by Women in Struggle for Empowerment (WISE). Child domestic workers are silently abused, tortured and murdered inside the boundary walls, revealed a report on Sunday.

A total 51 cases of violence against domestic workers were identified during the period of January 2019 to May 2020, said the report. However, it can be assumed that in the wake of the invisible nature of the work and insufficient media coverage these numbers may be much more. Astonishingly in all the 51 (100%) cases, the victims were girls as young as 7 to 20 years.

It is sad to note that 65 percent of the victims were less than 15 years of age. More sadly to note was the fact that in cases of heinous crimes; murder and rape, all the victims were young girls under 15.

Although new law "The Punjab Domestic Workers Act, 2019" strictly prohibits the employment of under-15 worker as domestic helpers, data speaks volumes in this regard about the lack of seriousness and apathy of the government towards true implementation of the domestic workers law.

Bushra Khaliq, Executive Director WISE lamented that both men and women employers were found equally callous and brutal towards these under-age domestic workers, whom they employed illegally.

In most of the cases the reason of violence was paltry and petty mistakes, we all commit often; breaking a glass, eating from employer's plate, damaging employer's shirt while ironing, freeing a pet incidentally etc, she said. She added that mere strict and speedy implementation of the law may not work alone without large scale effective sensitization of the employers.

The executive director recommended the government to constitute a Watch Committee comprising representatives of police, judiciary, CPWB, Labor and education departments and NGOs to check the cases of violence.

Bushra concluded that the government should form a governing body to detail the procedure and rules under which grievances of domestic workers can be remedied.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020