incidence of bestial torture on domestic workers on rise

Kamrun Nahar The number of incidence of torture and brutality on domestic workers have increased in the country allowing a section of people to openly violate human rights of children in the absence of enforcement of laws, said experts. Besides, they observed, sheer business by organised group of middlemen who supply child doemstic workers and mild punishment of the perpetrators have allowed the trend to prevail in society. The experts recommended immediate approval of the draft 'Domestic Workers' Protection and Welfare Policy 2010', a law prohibiting supply of child domestic workers, registration and recognition of domestic workers and inspection system to protect the rights of hapless children. "The number of incidents are much more than those reported in newspapers. Both the number of incidents and brutality are increasing," child rights activist Sharfuddin Khan told the FE. A recent data presented by Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) on the basis of newspaper reports showed 56 domestic workers died in 2010. The number was 33 untill 12 October in 2011. A total of 798 domestic wokers died over the last one decade. There is no data available on the total number of domestic workers-specially child domestic workers in the country. Mr Khan said one incident out of 10 is reported in newspapers. "It's not possible for one to oversee what's happening inside other's house. The report is only published if the brutality of the torture crosses the limit. Even a researcher faces hurdles in entering one's house let alone a reporter," he added. Domestic Workers' Rights Network (DWRN), a forum of a number of human rights organisations and trade unions working at national level, organised a press conference Tuesday at Natioanl Press Club in the city on the recent incident of inhuman torture on a child domestic worker, Romela Khatun (10), at a sub-inspector's (SI) house in Sitakunda. Labour activists said the attitude of the society towards domestic workers specially on children is indifference indicating serious degradation of humanity. "As there is hardly any exemplary punishment of the perpetrators, the trend of torturing or abusing child domestic workers never stops," said Mr Khan, adding, "Adult domestic workers can protest if they are abused. But child workers tolerate all the tortures as they are caged inside the house." Another labour rights campaigner Sultanuddin Ahmed said the present trend regarding child domestic workers is no more tolerable. The victims themselves may one day start punishing the perpetrators. "It's alarming that the perpetrators are the law enforcers themselves. Where will these helpless poor people go?," asked Mr Sultan. The government should conduct these cases under special arrangement and ensure exemplary punishment to the culprits, he added. Asked on the plan of approving of the Domestic Workers' Protection and Welfare Policy 2010 labour minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain said Tuesday the policy was yet to reach him for his approval. He said the process of approving the policy is not easy as there are several parties involved including employers, affected people and other oragnisations. The minister also said the issue of protecting domestic workers' rights took 10 years to come up for discussion and it will take more time to formulate and implement any policy on the issue. Contrary to the minister's view labour rights activists said the minister himself assured of approving the domestic workers' rights policy in public forum several times. Besides, they said the government does not need to make any new law for protecting domestic workers' rights and punishing the perpetrators as the killing or repression cases fall under existing criminal laws. Mr Khan said there is an active network of organised gang of brokers who are engaged in collecting and supplying child workers. They take commission from both the parents of the child domestic workers and the employers.