THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Crisis hit domestic workers immediately after the outbreak of Covid last year, as society started to treat them as carriers of infection and stopped employing them. Around seven lakh domestic workers in the state and their families were slowly starting to pick themselves up from the financial crisis caused by the lockdown, when the second wave of the pandemic and another lockdown dealt them a major blow again.
For 51-year-old Sulekha Khalid of Vypeen in Kochi, a domestic worker for the past 25 years, it’s been a life of misery after the lockdown put brakes on her earnings. Ever since the second lockdown, she and her family have been surviving on the free rations provided by the government, as her employers have asked her to take off from work till the Covid situation improves.
“Everybody is scared to employ us as we have to travel from faraway places using public transport. Even if the employer is ready to give us work, people in the area or apartment complexes refuse us entry. I raised my family with my earnings as a domestic worker all these years. My husband is unwell, so I look after the family and raise my children. I am in huge debt and every day I get calls from the bank asking to settle dues. We ran out of cooking gas several days ago and don’t have money to buy a new cylinder. We had to start cooking using fire woods, which we collect from nearby areas,” said Sulekha. “When my family contracted the virus, there was no one to help us. I have a three-year-old at home and we had a hard time arranging food for the toddler.”
The story of Vijila K from Panniyodu in Thiruvananthapuram, is no different. The 50-year-old woman has been out of work for the past two months. “Both my children are studying and we survive on my daily wages. For the past two months I have not been earning anything. We don’t even have money to buy groceries. Fortunately, the person who runs the shop is our neighbour and he gives us groceries on credit. I will have to repay him once I get back to work,” said Vijila.
Though the government has decided to end the total lockdown, things could take a turn for the worst for domestic workers if a third wave hits. The Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) has been fighting for the rights of domestic workers ever since the virus outbreak, and has run several campaigns to sensitise people on the livelihood crisis being faced by househelps. On June 2, 2021, SEWA submitted a memorandum to the state drawing urgent attention of the authorities to the plight of domestic workers in the state.
“There is no data on the number of domestic workers in the state. Only 1 lakh domestic workers in the state are registered and eligible for the relief announced by the government,” said SEWA secretary Sonia George. “The state should provide priority vaccination for domestic workers. This is crucial for them to get back their livelihoods,” she said, adding the association has launched a campaign urging employers to provide compensation for domestic helpers during the lockdown.
On Wednesday, SEWA staged a dharna in front of the Secretariat demanding protection of the domestic workers’ rights. The Union has urged the Centre to pass a legislation for domestic workers and ratify the International Labour Organisation Convention 189, which recognises their contribution and ensures protection of their rights.