KATHMANDU, JULY 30
A national policy dialogue, organized by Yuwalaya in partnership with Oxfam, brought together political leaders, local representatives, social security fund officials, trade union members, and other stakeholders to discuss the rights of domestic workers.
The key focus was on advocating for the registration of domestic workers in local bodies and their inclusion in the social security fund.
Rupa Soshi Choudhary, the whip of the CPN Maoist Center, highlighted that the rights of millions of domestic workers have been neglected and stressed the need for a national-level debate on this issue. She emphasized the importance of integrating domestic workers into the social security system and expressed her commitment to raising this issue in the House.
Bina Lama, whip of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, pledged to address policy challenges and work towards giving domestic workers a professional identity.
Hidam Lama, chairman of Makwanpur's Bhimfedi Rural Municipality, shared the municipality's efforts to connect informal sector workers, including domestic workers, to the social security fund. Basudev Malla, member secretary of Budhanilkanth Municipality's labor coordination committee, reported that 394 informal workers have been registered, including 22 domestic workers.
He also discussed efforts to ensure justice and legal protection for domestic workers facing violence and wage fraud.
Rohit Regmi, Deputy Director of the Social Security Fund, stated that local bodies are responsible for registering domestic workers. He noted that 104 municipalities have agreed to include informal sector workers in the social security fund. He called for a clearer understanding of domestic labor and the importance of identifying employers.
Labor and migration researcher Dr. Meena Paudel pointed out the lack of awareness as a major challenge in connecting domestic workers to local registration and the social security fund. She urged elected representatives to study domestic labor issues and work to protect the rights of these workers.
Participants in the dialogue emphasized the need for all levels of government to prioritize the issue of domestic labor.
Dharmaraj Rimal, president of Yuwalaya, expressed confidence in the organization's efforts to advocate for the ratification of the International Labour Organization's Convention 189 on Domestic Workers, aiming to establish domestic labor as a respected profession.
