The Regional Forum on Sustainable Development side event: The rights of domestic workers in a sustainable and equitable COVID-19 recovery

According to International Labour Organization (ILO), COVID-19 threatens the livelihoods of more than 55 million people engaged in domestic work, including 37 million women. Ten years from the adoption of the landmark ILO Convention N189 on Domestic Work, that confirmed the rights of domestic workers, ILO insisted that despite “real progress” in labour laws and social security provision in some countries, these “essential service providers” had rarely been so vulnerable in many others. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, fewer than 40 per cent of domestic workers had effective access to social security linked to their employment. ILO data also demonstrates that during the height of the pandemic, “job losses among domestic workers ranged from 5-20 per cent in most European countries” and “75.6 million domestic workers (4.5 per cent of employees worldwide) have suffered significantly, which in turn has affected the households that rely on them to meet their daily care needs.”

Only a few countries addressed needs of domestic workers who lost their jobs within their COVID-19 response as it was documented by UN Women/UNDP global tracker for gender responsive measures.

The Regional Forum on Sustainable Development side event “The rights of domestic workers in a sustainable and equitable COVID-19 recovery” will bring together governments, trade unions, employee organizations, CSOs and international development partners to jointly discuss solutions and actions to create sustainable and equitable recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and ensure that domestic workers are not left behind. It is also expected to advocate jointly towards considering domestic workers as an essential part of the economic infrastructure that allows households to meet their needs, to empower women economically and bring them into a formal labour market.

The agenda on decent work will be brought forward, furthering dialogue on the protection of the labour and broader human rights of domestic workers along with further spelling out of the obstacles for the improvement of their working conditions. The presentation and discussion will highlight the importance of the ILO C189 ratification and inspiring practices that have contributed to the enforcements of its standards in the region.

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