Child Domestic Work in India

Child Domestic Workers are:Child Domestic Workers are children who work within homes outside of their own family, doing domestic chores for a wage in cash or kind.

– 12.6 million children work in India (Indian Government)– UNICEF estimates there are 35 million child labourers– 20-40% of child labour is domestic work

– There are approximately 50,000 child domestic workers in Kolkata– 86% of child domestic workers in Kolkata are girls– Child domestic workers can be as young as 10– Most children leave their homes in rural areas to work as domestic helpers

in urban areas

– Child Domestic Workers carry out a number of household chores including: cleaning, cooking, and running errands for their employer

Why do children become domestic workers?

• Poverty– Source of income– Large families – ‘one less mouth to feed’ – Education is too expensive– Repayment of parental debt

• Lack of alternatives– Families are unable to make enough money from agriculture

• Lack of health and educational opportunities

• Social inequality– Middle classes demand domestic workers

• Cultural and personal attitudes to children and work– Parental attitudes of female education

• Absence of law enforcement preventing domestic work

How do they find their work?

Family: most children find work through their relatives

Placement agencies: 1 in 3 children - Child recruiters approach families and list the ‘advantages’ of

sending a child into service- Recruiters then pass on the child to placement agencies who find

the work

- Agents find children domestic work at the cost of one month’s wage

- 1 in 3 children have to give their salary to the agents- Many children do not know the name of the placement agency - 1 in 3 families do not know where their daughters are working

In Sandkda village with 150 families, 70 children have been sent to workIn Ajgara village with 300 families, 105 children have been sent to work

Working Conditions:Working hours:

• Child domestic workers on average work 15 hours a day

• Most children get less than one hour break a day

• Child domestic workers are isolated from other children

• Half of child domestic workers do not get any holiday

• Half of child domestic workers do not want a similar job

• Half of child domestic workers need permission to have food. Children often have a poor diet and are more likely to be ill than when they were at home

Salary:

• Half of child domestic workers earn less than £12 a month (Rs. 1000-1500) and 77% have not had a wage increase in the last 1-2 years

Child domestic workers face all kinds of abuse – physical, emotional and sexual.

• Over two thirds of child domestic workers faced physical abuse• 86% of child domestic workers faced emotional abuse• One in four children has/had to experience sexual abuse at work

‘There in the employer’s house I had to work a lot, from washing utensils, to fetching water and cooking; I also had to wash two cars there. They never gave me proper food- I only used to get two pieces of burnt bread and left over vegetables. I had to wake up at 4am. Whenever I said to them that I needed to sleep they used to say ‘didn’t you work in the agricultural field? So, why are you tired?’. I used to cry but they never loved me. I worked there for 6 months. Once I broke one glass and I was severely beaten by them.’

Former Child Domestic Worker, Usha, 15, Midnapore

‘I used to work at a place where I had to take my master’s son to tuition classes and bring him back home. Then I had to wash utensils, cook vegetables, sweep and mop the floors, and then buy things from the market. After doing all these I used to come home in the evening’

Mumtaz, 13

‘When I used to work, sometimes I would make mistakes. Then my master would scold me a lot, and at times hit me also’

Akhil, 14

Are there any positive aspects of child domestic labourers?

It provides an income for the poorest families:‘My family, consisting of my father, mother, two younger brothers and my granny, were literally going without food and basic necessities, and so I decided to quit my studies and look for a job’

Protima, aged 15

Some domestic workers may learn new skills:‘Earlier this year I started domestic work at another family’s house and I still work there. They are very nice people and I call them Uncle and Aunt. They have a daughter, Firdaus and a son, Arshad. Both have completed their education. Arshad works in a show room and Firdaus teaches young children. She helps me with my English. She loves all of us a lot’

Jahida, aged 16Culture and tradition:

Domestic work is seen as the best option for teaching girls the skills they will need as adults

What is being done?

Government response:2006: 14 has been made the minimum age for employment and work in all occupations including domestic work

What does Save the Children do?

To make sure boys and girls are protected against harmful work, Save the Children has two roles:

• To support direct interventions to prevent harmful work or improve the lives of working children

• To influence those who have a duty to children to fulfill their obligations.

Where does Save the Children work?

• West Bengal (Kolkata and source districts-East Midnapur, North and south 24 Paraganas)

• Maharashtra (Thane and Mumbai city)

• Jharkhand (Source districts- Gumla, Simdega, Ranchi)

Save the Children and Child Domestic Labour:

Save the Children works in four areas:

• Where the children come from (source):• ‘Anti-trafficking committees’ have been set up to disrupt the supply of

children• Educating parents about the risks to their children and the importance of

education• Barring recruiters• Urging the police to enforce the law

• Where the children work:• Encourage child workers to go to informal education ‘drop-in centres’• Educate employers to encourage them to be ‘child friendly’

3) Public opinion • Change public acceptance of chid domestic work through the media

4) Research• Research is conducted to understand the causes and consequences of child

domestic work

What are the challenges?

• Child Domestic Workers are difficult to protect as they are in private homes

• There is little accurate data on the number of children involved in domestic work and the extent of violence.

• Domestic work is culturally acceptable. Parents often believe domestic work provides better prospects for their children

• Because of the booming economy the demand for domestic help has risen

• There are few job alternatives in source areas