An ongoing photography contest being organised by the ILO attempts to make employers recognise domestic work as 'real' work. participants stand to win cash prizes of up to Rs 15,000 as well as the opportunity to exhibit their work
An ongoing photography contest being organised by theu00a0ILO attempts to make employers recognise domestic work as 'real' work. participants stand to win cash prizes of up to Rs 15,000 as well as the opportunity to exhibit their work
"Ninety per cent of domestic workers are women, and women's work is per se invisible, undervalued and unaccounted for," says the project manager for the 'Your Work Is Important' photography contest.
The ongoing contest, organised by the International Labour Organization (ILO), is open to every adult resident of India, and calls for entries that capture the dignity of work of domestic workers.
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| A domestic worker walks up to receive her certificate for having completed Level One of the skill-building workshop at St Columba School in New Delhi. |
"The reason we employ domestic workers is not because we can afford them, but because their work is important to us," adds the official.
The relationship between the employer and employee is one of symbiosis.
"The domestic worker typically takes over the work of the woman in the household, which in turn frees her to pursue economic activity, and thereby contribute to the financial well-being of the household," explains the ILO programme officer.
"This raises the social standing of the woman and the standard of living of the family," he adds.
National estimates for 2004-05 suggest that 4.75 million workers were employed by private households.
The need therefore to address the issues and concerns of domestic workers is likely to only escalate in coming years.
"It's high time we acknowledged that they are doing a job and like any job there needs to be a basic salary, employee benefits and fixed days off," says pastry chef Christina Fernandes.
Domestic workers are not covered under labour laws and there are no policy regulations to ensure their protection. "Domestic work needs to be recognised as real work to begin with," says the ILO official.
The ILO, Ministry of Labour and Employment, the Directorate General of Employment & Training, and the Delhi Government have come together to train domestic workers.
"500 domestic workers have already completed the skill-building workshop and we plan to train 5,000 more by March 2011. We also hope to replicate the project in different cities," she adds.
A panel led by an international photographer will judge entries. Winners will receive cash prizes of up to Rs 15,000 and the opportunity to have their work featured in an exhibition.
For contest details, log on to www.ilo.org/newdelhi or send an email to domesticwork@ilo.org.
