nairobi domestic workers

The Solidarity Center supports domestic workers' efforts to win their rights on the job and develop long-term policies for promoting decent work. Solidarity Center programs have helped partner organizations develop organizing strategies, advocate for policy change, and support international efforts to promote a standard-setting international convention on domestic work. Around the world, domestic workers provide vital services for their employers including cleaning, cooking, caring for children and the elderly, repair and maintenance work, gardening, driving, and caring for household animals. Their work is a valuable social and economic foundation—allowing their employers to balance work and family obligations. Domestic work plays an increasingly noticeable role in the global economy. According to the ILO, the worldwide demand for domestic work has resulted in a steady increase in these jobs over the past two decades. The ILO now estimates that there are “tens of millions” of domestic workers in the world today. Among this number there are a large and increasing number of migrant domestic workers and children under the age of 18. Poor and often far from home, the overwhelming majority of domestic workers are young women who view the work as an opportunity to earn a living, but too often find themselves vulnerable to abuses—from low wages and long hours to physical abuse and human trafficking. Despite their growing numbers, their poverty, low social status, and isolation put distance between them and the political and social structures that could support them The trade union movement has increasingly lent its strength to support calls for domestic worker rights. Established trade unions are joined in many places by nascent domestic worker unions who are developing innovative organizing models and advocating at all levels of government to bring domestic work out of the shadows through access to social services and labor law protection. The Solidarity Center supports these trends by encouraging the innovative attempts of partner organizations in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Indonesia, and Kenya to empower an entire sector of workers, while linking support for their organizing and advocacy efforts to a larger, global movement. Oretha Tarnue: Mobilizing, Empowering Liberian Domestic Workers. March 6, 2014—Oretha Tarnue, vice president of the United Workers Union of Liberia (UWUL) and a former domestic worker, is spearheading a drive in her country to organize domestic workers who, like their counterparts elsewhere, are routinely exploited by their employers. South Africa Domestic Workers Strategize with U.S. Counterparts. December 2, 2012—Eight domestic workers from South Africa gathered with their American sisters and brothers from the United Domestic Workers of America (UDW)/AFSCME in San Diego on one of their first full days in the United States. Report Chronicles Rise of Domestic Workers. October 29, 2013—Despite the many obstacles they face, domestic workers worldwide have made huge strides in securing rights and respect on the job by joining together in unions and associations, according to a new report. Domestic Workers Receive Human Rights Award. September 9, 2013—At least 50 domestic workers from seven countries marched into the main hall at the AFL-CIO quadrennial convention in Los Angeles Sunday, singing their signature song, to accept the George Meany–Lane Kirkland Human Rights Award. Domestic Workers Worldwide Now Covered by Labor Law. September 5, 2013—Beginning today, millions of domestic workers worldwide have basic labor rights, as the International Labor Organization (ILO) Domestic Workers Convention officially comes into force. Kenya: Court Rules Domestic Workers Covered by Employment Law. May 6, 2013—Employers in Kenya now must abide by the verbal contracts they make with domestic workers, following a landmark ruling by the nation’s high court that also effectively places domestic workers under Kenya’s employment law. Kenya: A Commitment to Unionize Informal-Sector Workers. January 29, 2013— In Kenya, where the informal sector accounts for 80 percent of employment and contributes 25 percent to the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), union outreach is helping give these workers a voice on the job. "12 by 12" Campaign: Uruguay First Country to Ratify C189. April 26, 2012—Trade union activists, as well as domestic workers, are thrilled to see a breakthrough in the "12 by 12" campaign: Uruguay made history by being the first country to ratify International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention No. 189 (C189), Decent Work for Domestic Workers. Kenya Union Launches Organizing Manual for Domestic Workers. January 27, 2012—With support from the Solidarity Center, the Kenyan domestic workers union KUDHEIHA recently developed an organizing manual specifically for domestic workers.