Delhi Diary: India's Domestic Helpers Need New Social Contract

By Shakir Husain Shakir Husain, BERNAMA’s correspondent in India shares his take on the New Delhi capital city and its unique social narrative. NEW DELHI, July 17 (Bernama) -- Doing hard work for low pay is normal for India's domestic helpers. Most of them have accepted their circumstances in India's social hierarchy. Cleaners, cooks, maids and many others who get informal work from middle-class and affluent households in major Indian cities mostly go about their lives quietly. Complaints about bad working conditions are not tolerated. However, things must improve for domestic workers if India is to avoid serious social tensions in the coming years as the country's rapid economic growth is fuelling consumerism-driven lifestyles as well widening class inequalities. A widely reported incident of mob violence at a "posh" housing society in Noida, one of Delhi's satellite towns, a few days ago highlights the problem. A woman domestic helper was allegedly beaten up and detained at her employer's home. When she was reported "missing", a group of people from her community surrounded the enclave of residential towers. According to local media reports, stones were hurled and property damaged during the chaos. It could have easily escalated into something bigger. "We are thankful to our security guards, who stood like a rock to ensure our lives were safe. They prevented the mob from causing any grave damage to the society and its residents. They also helped the society residents to evacuate a family which was being targeted by the mob," one resident was quoted as saying. There are conflicting versions in the media about what actually happened, but the issue again brings India's huge class divide to the fore. Like the domestic helpers, the security guards who are believed to have protected the residents come from the low-income class and form a key sub group among the millions of workers employed in the informal sector. One group of such workers that have gained more bargaining power and have seen considerable improvement in their financial situation are car drivers. Thanks to the arrival of online taxi services, those with driving skills can become self-employed and chose flexible work hours. The situation of women working in private homes is a matter of larger concern. They mostly have zero or very little education and are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. For government officers, professionals or business people in busy and large cities they are a source of cheap labour. The issue of domestic worker abuse can also be seen in the larger context of the problem of forced labour in both rural and urban India. As per human rights group Walk Free Foundation's 2016 Global Slavery Index, India is home to 18.4 million slaves, representing 40 per cent of world total, in its 1.3 billion population. Many domestic workers live in slums, having come to large cities from villages and small towns. Some are victims of human trafficking. Desperate to survive, they are forced to accept whatever low-paid work they can get. According to a survey covering cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Bangalore, most domestic helpers earn less than Rs 9,000 (US$139) per month. Many work long hours and without off days. It would be unjust to paint all those who employ domestic helpers as stingy exploiters. Acts of generosity towards domestic staff are not uncommon. But these individual good deeds cannot make up for the missing social infrastructure or a lack of national efforts to reduce glaring inequalities. -- BERNAMA