If there was no mistress, then the owner used to rape: Kamwali narrated her ordeal, husband doubted and beat her, after all, she lost her respect in front of her stomach.

Looking at the clock, how late did you come? If I take leave, I will halve the salary. I can’t find the goods, didn’t you take it? Why does she come so well-dressed, she is putting strings on my husband. Wherever you go, you are framing the men there and accusing my husband…Women working in the household have to face such talk and dirty abuses everyday. If the mistress gets into a scuffle, then the owner exploits seeing the opportunity, but these women suffer for the sake of survival. Read the report of Bhaskar Woman on International Domestic Workers Day, the tragedy of domestic helpers…

35-year-old Ritu (name changed) works in the rooms of Vasant Kunj, a posh area of ​​Delhi. Ritu tells that at the age of Bali, the family members got married in Madhepura district of Bihar. When she reached her in-laws’ house, she came to know that the husband does not do any work. His only job is to get drunk and beat me. In the year 2004, she moved to Delhi with her husband. Soon she became the mother of two children. She started working in the houses to feed herself and the children.

Stomach hunger heavy on respect
young age. Slender body and dirty eyes of the owner. To avoid them, I would shrink in my own sari like a turtle. Called on the pretext of giving water and cleaning when the glass was rolled. The owner would try to touch me in the wrong place. I shuddered and ran away. Most lived in front of the eyes of the owner. One day the mistress was not in the house. I was forced that day. Cried a lot Didn’t go to work the next day.

Domestic help Ritu. Ritu says that it has become a habit for us to be accused of abusing and theft. Now that the government should make some laws for us, then perhaps our fate will open.

Could neither tell the husband nor complain to the mistress, because no one listens to me. I would have been put in the circle of questions. My husband used to doubt me and beat me. Mistress fired. When I saw the faces of the children, I thought of being fired from work and not getting work in another place quickly. Then the heart trembled at the thought of what would happen to the children. In the end, respect was lost to the hunger of the stomach. Ritu says that now I earn 5500 thousand rupees by working in three houses. With this money, the jugaad of filling the stomach for just two times is hardly possible.

When mother got sick, she missed studies, just remembered nun, oil and sourness
Growing up in a slum in Delhi, Nirmala (name changed) goes to work in the cells of Vasant Vihar. Nirmala, 50, says that her husband is a driver. He has no work since the lockdown. Have two kids. I wake up before 4 in the morning. First I do my homework. Then from 6 in the morning to 10 in the night, I work in the cells. Then I can earn 8000.

It is the year 1991. Mother used to work at home. At that time I was studying in 9th standard. Suddenly the mother became ill. I had to go to work instead of leaving school. Since then I am working till today. When I was young, my owners’ wives would doubt me. Wearing good clothes, wearing lipstick and bindi would result in abuse. The owners would have been accused of threading, but what would they do? To run the house, everyone had to listen and keep busy with work. As they got older, their attitude didn’t change much. Only the charges have changed.

Domestic help Nirmala. She tells that they work whole day, then they get bread for two times. Even on that one should not be fired from work, this fear keeps haunting all the time, because work is not getting easily since Kovid.

You get only some money, two sweet words and no luck
Sulekha of Madhya Pradesh works in the cells of Model Town. Sulekha’s husband is a driver, who has not had much work since the lockdown. Both have two children. Sulekha says that at present, I do broom-wiping, food and utensils work in two houses. Then I get only 4500 rupees, but never got two good words or belongingness.

Sulekha says that even after a delay of 10 minutes, one has to listen, but when guests come to the owner’s house or if special food has to be cooked, then it is delayed for hours, it is not remembered. No matter how sick Headache, cold, fever. No one ever said – first make a cup of tea and drink it and then do the work. If you are not feeling well, then let it be today. If there is a day or two of leave due to excessive illness or going somewhere, then the owners deduct the salary. While those people have many holidays in the month, but we do not.

Domestic help Sulekha sitting in a yellow sari with her friends. Sulekha says that if anything goes wrong, she is fired. The owner-mistress does not even give us money.

More than 48 lakh domestic helpers in the country
According to the report of International Labor Organization, there are more than 48 lakh female domestic workers in India at present. However, the actual number of domestic workers in the country is around eight crore. Women working as domestic helpers are subjected to abuse, mental, physical and sexual harassment. Only last month, a horrific incident of cruelty with a working woman came to light in Delhi. The 48-year-old woman was beaten up so much by her bosses that she was found unconscious covered in body filth. The woman’s hands and feet were broken and even her hair was cut. The National Alliance of Domestic Workers (NADW) is fighting for the rights of such women.

Talk about the rights of domestic workers in ‘post card’
The women’s wing of NADW will send more than 10 thousand postcards to the Chief Ministers and Labor Ministers of Delhi, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka on International Domestic Workers Day today, demanding the rights of domestic workers.

demands of domestic workers