Trade unions and civil society representatives called for end of violence against domestic workers, exemplary punishment against torturers, legal protections, proper treatment of victims and appropriate compensation. Speaker’s demanded these at a human chain organised by Domestic Workers’ Rights Network (DWRN) in collaboration with the BILS SRDW project on September 23, 2021, at Mohammadpur Bus Stand, Satmosjid Road in the capital.

Speakers at the human chain said that in recent times, incidents of torture, killings, and human rights violations against domestic workers have increased alarmingly. According to BILS newspaper survey, from January to June 2021, at least 22 domestic workers were killed and tortured. Speakers said that one after another deaths and tortures of domestic workers are taking place in the country due to the absence of implementation of the ‘Domestic Workers Protection and Welfare Policy 2015’. They said the torturers repeatedly dared to torture domestic workers because of the lack of exemplary punishment. If the torturers of these incidents are brought under proper justice and given exemplary punishment, then no one would dare to torture the domestic workers.

Speakers from the human chain demand endorsed ILO Convention-179; implementation of “Domestic Worker Protection and Welfare Policy 2015” to protect the safety of domestic workers across the country; to include domestic workers in labour laws; to ensure safety and secured migration for all domestic workers; to provide fair compensation to the families of workers killed in torture and to injured workers; medical expenses of injured workers to be accepted by the employer; the families of the victim workers and the injured workers demanded permanent rehabilitation.

DWRN Acting Coordinator Abul Hossain led the human chain, while Jatiya Sramik Jote Working President Md. Abdul Wahed, Bangladesh Free Trade Union Congress Secretary Pulak Ranjan Dhar, Jatiya Sramik League Trade Union Affairs Secretary Feroj Hossain and Women Affairs Secretary Promila Podder, DWRN Member Secretary and BILS Director Nazma Yesmin, Jatiya Sramik Federation representative Arifa Akhter also participated. Domestic Workers Rights Network and BILS affiliated organisations representatives, National trade union federation leaders and Civil Society representatives were present at the human chain.