Domestic workers as a human rights issue

I found the Human Rights Watch site just by happen-chance one day while on the internet. What sparked my attention was the World Report for 2007 that captured different subjects and sub-sects of the human rights issue as a whole. The subject on women’s rights is one of the studies that has been of great interest to me for a long period of time. No, I’m not talking about feminist politics, philosophies or beliefs, so let’s not automatically assume that I’m being radical or prejudice in anyway. What I’m bringing out to point hopefully, is the issue of women and gender rights as a whole, which are unfortunately impeded upon in the more secular and traditional state systems.

There are numerous factors as to why the treatment of women differs among countries, so as an obvious point: Going into any system with the goal of absolving a problem with a single type of approach is doomed for failure. Which brings up another interesting thought to mind, which is that going into any country and trying to crusade for the eradication of a problem is not necessarily a positive undertaking at all. I’ve become a bit more cosmopolitan with my approach to solving the world’s problems by believing that it is the responsibility of the international community to work against the plight of global issues on certain macro and micro levels. Proactive approaches need to be made to eradicate problems, especially those in the countries that don’t have the capabilities to do so on their own.

What does turn into a negative realization is the bureaucracy of the states in the international community not taking stands on issues because it is not in their national interests or it is so close to their interests that the issues are replaced and exploited with other results. I think that this is why advocating for human rights may at times seem to be a double-edged sword.

Going back to what I tried to start with, domestic worker’s rights is a t0pic that as a human rights issue illustrates constant struggles. Women from developing nations search outside and migrate to more developed countries to provide a living for their families back home. What may seem as a natural process of globalization to some turns into a horror for those who are exposed to the abuses and exploitation of their employers; sexual, physical and verbal abuse, being under-paid or not paid at all, over-worked, living in constant isolation. These women are trapped as modern-day servants and slaves to those who employ them because the realization is that there is no easy or safe way out. Those who are lucky as domestic workers are given the opportunity to earn money, provide for their families and even return home to never have to come back.

A book that I would recommend on this topic is Global Woman: Nannies, Maids, and Sex Workers in the New Economy.

The Human Rights Watch has a report on protecting migrant domestic worker’s rights that was written by Nisha Varia. There’s a photo essay that brings the issue very close to home by illustrating the lives of women who have been domestic workers.

http://hrw.org/campaigns/women/2006/domestic_workers/photos.htm#nolink