Throughout 6 episodes, listeners will get to know a variety of guests: domestic worker leaders, international labour rights experts and grass-roots organizers. They share breakthroughs, setbacks and ongoing struggles to secure domestic workers’ rights in Asia. Through their stories, viewers learn about the wide variety of legal and organizing strategies used by unions and associations of domestic workers. All the episodes are available on Spotify, YouTube and SoundCloud.
Episode 1: Domestic workers unite in Asia
While there are more domestic workers in Asia than in any other region in the world, organizing in this sector is comparatively recent. In this episode, Fish Ip, the regional coordinator of the International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF) in Asia, explains how the IDWF organizes domestic workers, and shares insights on why governments are slow to ratify the International Labour Organization’s convention for domestic workers, C189.
Listen on SoundCloud or YouTube.
Episode 2: The legal landscape for domestic workers in Asia
Though domestic workers play an essential role in meeting the direct and indirect care needs of households across Asia, almost two-thirds remain excluded from national labour laws. Rebecca Napier Moore, the Technical Officer at the International Labour Organization joins us to discuss “the good, the bad, and the ugly” when it comes to laws and policies for domestic workers in Asia. We learn about some of the social, economic and political developments reshaping the legal landscape across the region.
Listen on SoundCloud or YouTube.
Episode 3: Migrant domestic workers and their rights in Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, an estimated 400,000 migrant domestic workers play a critical role in keeping the global city running. Despite being covered by many of the same labour protections as local workers, migrant workers face a range of challenges in seeking redress for abusive working conditions. In this episode, union leaders Jec and Sarah discuss domestic worker protections and entitlements in Hong Kong and share the story of a migrant domestic worker. Jec is the general secretary of the Hong Kong Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions (FADWU) and Sarah is the Vice President of the Union of Nepalese Domestic Workers in Hong Kong.
Listen on SoundCloud or YouTube.
Episode 4: Realizing domestic workers' rights in Nepal
In 2017, domestic workers were included in two major pieces of legislation in Nepal: the Labour Act and the Social Security Act. However, implementation has been slow. Convincing municipalities to provide the resources needed to register domestic workers and to expand social security coverage to these workers is a struggle. In this episode, Gyanu Kshatri, the general secretary of the Home Based Workers Union in Nepal, talks about these challenges and the strategies they use to combat stigma and make sure that domestic work is recognized as valuable and dignified work!
Listen on SoundCloud or YouTube.
Episode 5: Translating legal victories into change in domestic workers’ lives in the Philippines
The Philippines is the only Asian country to have ratified the Domestic Workers Convention – C189. And, in 2013, the Philippines passed the Domestic Workers Act. What does it take to translate legal victories into real change in workers’ lives? Himaya, the general secretary of the United Domestic Workers Union in the Philippines, unpacks the key features of the law, the role of local governments, and the strategies the union uses to support workers in navigating practical challenges.
Listen on SoundCloud or YouTube.
Episode 6: Fighting for legislation in Indonesia
Domestic workers in Indonesia have spent more than two decades fighting for legislation to protect their rights. Their key challenge is how to build political will among parliamentarians who benefit from the status quo as employers of domestic workers. In this episode, Lita Anggraini, the co-founder and national coordinator of the National Network for Domestic Workers Advocacy, known as JALA PRT, discusses some of the research, mobilization and advocacy strategies they’ve used over the years.
Listen on SoundCloud or YouTube.
Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) is a global network focused on empowering the working poor, especially women, in the informal economy to secure their livelihoods. International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF) is a membership-based global organization of domestic and household workers.
Credits: Domestic Workers Organizing for Legal Change in Asia is a podcast by WIEGO, hosted by Krithika Dinesh, and supported by Zeina Shaaban and Fernanda Valienti, IDWF. Podcast production by Chhavi Sachdev and the team at Sonologue, Sharad Joshi on sound design, music by Raghid Jureidini.