How we can stop export of domestic workers
What you need to know:
- As the people work for you, pay them well. Value domestic workers and they will value you in return – create a win-win situation.
- Then young people will not make the perilous adventures to export their labour abroad when in fact, they can get everything to do from here, locally.
Did you know that domestic labour is arguably one of the oldest occupations? Today, domestic occupation remains a popular part of the global workforce.
When you see the number of labour organisations trying to streamline the recruitment process of labourers, then you know how important it is.
When you see well-to-do families in a desperate search for house help, you will appreciate the usefulness of domestic labourers in society. However, many countries find regulating domestic labour a hard thing to do.
There are no proper standards to make the working environment of domestic workers better. The issue of their remuneration is also out there.
One reason for the hardship in regulating this occupation could be that since this practice happens within the private confines of the home, the temptation is very high to consider this type of occupation as non-formal and therefore, no need to enter into private space, hence the reluctance to take it seriously.
Yet many individuals look at this occupation as a lifeline. To them, domestic labour is pertinent. They will handle it with care given the increasing competition for jobs and the need for livelihood.
Otherwise, the few available jobs cannot absorb every job-seeking individual. You see the long queues of young people at the departure terminals of many African airports. They are motivated and determined more than ever to export their labour to outside countries (since we have failed to respect them domestically).
Despite the risks involved, they pack up and leave home. Many of our people have died under mysterious circumstances while trying to make ends meet on foreign soil.
It is not a crime to seek opportunities. You cannot blame them. All we can do is try and find a balance point to enable them to go and be comfortable.
Call out those governments that welcome our people, urge them to treat our people with respect. Make them feel valued. Then we will indirectly mitigate some of the dangers these people get exposed to.
Back to the domestic front, we see many homes employing domestic workers to help them undertake those various domestic responsibilities that we “may not have time for.”
We go ahead to recruit these people without any proper undertaking. No contract is offered to them, and therefore, we exploit them. So, we take advantage of the non-existence of regulations to exploit domestic workers and satisfy our needs.
In the absence of regulations, we can embrace best practices to manage this industry as we try to organise something to regulate domestic workers.
Note that domestic workers become part of our families. Domestic labour easily qualifies to be a labour of love because it touches on every aspect of the family (where love is supposed to begin).
It has a physical and emotional attachment with families over time. So, waiting for regulations to organise things is waiting for too long.
It could come to complicate things. Even if regulations were available, their enforcement is something to look into. For now, we have a significant gap in the domestic workers’ industry. A part of the solution is to invest more.
Follow some available best practices to ensure that domestic labour and other care industries are recognised. Encourage families to make the industry lucrative.
As the people work for you, pay them well. Value domestic workers and they will value you in return – create a win-win situation. Then young people will not make the perilous adventures to export their labour abroad when in fact, they can get everything to do from here, locally.
They will have no reason to travel overseas for such purposes. And when they return, they find that their families have disintegrated. We can avoid trouble by recognising and valuing the work of domestic labourers.
Simon J. Mone, Civil Engineer, [email protected]