Policy dialogue on domestic workers’ rights concluded

Kathmandu, July 31

A national policy dialogue on domestic workers’ rights, organized by Yuwalaya in partnership with Oxfam concluded on Tuesday in Kathmandu. The event brought together political leaders, local representatives, social security fund officials, trade union members, and other stakeholders to discuss the rights of domestic workers. The key focus was on advocating for the registration of domestic workers in local bodies and their inclusion in the Social Security Fund.

Rupa Soshi Choudhary, the whip of the CPN Maoist Center, highlighted that the rights of millions of domestic workers have been neglected and stressed the need for a national-level debate on this issue. She emphasized the importance of integrating domestic workers into the social security system and expressed her commitment to raising this issue in the House.

Bina Lama, the whip of the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party, pledged to address policy challenges and work towards giving domestic workers a professional identity.

Hidam Lama, chairman of Makwanpur’s Bhimfedi Rural Municipality, shared the municipality’s efforts to connect informal sector workers, including domestic workers, to the social security fund.

Basudev Malla, member secretary of Budhanilkanth Municipality’s labour coordination committee, said, “394 informal workers have been registered, including 22 domestic workers.”

He also discussed efforts to ensure justice and legal protection for domestic workers facing violence and wage fraud.

Rohit Regmi, Deputy Director of the Social Security Fund, stated that local bodies are responsible for registering domestic workers. He noted that 104 municipalities have agreed to include informal sector workers in the social security fund. He called for a clearer understanding of domestic labor and the importance of identifying employers.

Labour and migration researcher Meena Paudel pointed out the lack of awareness as a major challenge in connecting domestic workers to local registration and the social security fund.

“The elected representatives to study domestic labour issues and work to protect the rights of these workers,” said Paudel.

Participants in the dialogue emphasized the need for all levels of government to prioritize the issue of domestic labour.

Dharmaraj Rimal, president of Yuwalaya, expressed confidence in the organization’s efforts to advocate for the ratification of the International Labour Organization’s Convention 189 on Domestic Workers, aiming to establish domestic labour as a respected profession.

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