Domestic workers get worst end of stick amid pandemic
Saroj, a domestic help in ATS Paradiso housing society in Greater Noida, at work. Photo: Ria Pipalwa
By RIA PIPALWA
India’s class system is deeply rooted in society. Being adomestic help is typically not a well-respected job. There are almost four million domestic workers in India. A report by ILO shows that 49.3 per cent of domestic workers were significantly impacted by the lockdown triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic .
Many employers refused to pay the workers, who are in the unorganized sector, during the lockdown even after the government ordered to pay them. Some domestic helps were laid off and not called back after the lockdown.
Saroj, a worker in ATS Paradiso, said, “My faith in God is what helped me survive during these uncertain times." Saroj believed she was lucky as her employers paid her even during the lockdown period. She didn’t have to worry about her next meal unlike some of her unfortunate neighbours. Her daughter hasn’t gone to school in over seven months. Saroj is worried about her daughter’s future.
Another worker said, “He was able to live normally as the government provided ration in his village”.
COVID-19 came as a blow to the economic and mental condition of the poor. It resulted in the loss of jobs and domestic violence cases also increased. According to The Hindu, 1,477 complaints were made by women against domestic abuse between March 25 and May 31. This 68-day period recorded more complaints than those received between March and May in the previous 10 years.
Madhavi, another worker at ATS Paradiso, said, “The rich look at us as if we are filthy people and do not care about cleanliness. That’s not true. We stay clean too. We are just as scared of the coronavirus as they are. They think that we will give them the virus”.
We often call the domestic helps the bravest people, our heroes. However, it is not their bravery that pushes them to wake up in the morning and go to work. They do for their family’s survival.
(The story first appeared in The Times of Bennett, the lab newspaper produced by the first semester students of The Times School of Media.)
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India’s class system is deeply rooted in society. Being a
Many employers refused to pay the workers, who are in the unorganized sector, during the lockdown even after the government ordered to pay them. Some domestic helps were laid off and not called back after the lockdown.
Saroj, a worker in ATS Paradiso, said, “My faith in God is what helped me survive during these uncertain times." Saroj believed she was lucky as her employers paid her even during the lockdown period. She didn’t have to worry about her next meal unlike some of her unfortunate neighbours. Her daughter hasn’t gone to school in over seven months. Saroj is worried about her daughter’s future.
My faith in God is what helped me survive during these uncertain times.
Another worker said, “He was able to live normally as the government provided ration in his village”.
COVID-19 came as a blow to the economic and mental condition of the poor. It resulted in the loss of jobs and domestic violence cases also increased. According to The Hindu, 1,477 complaints were made by women against domestic abuse between March 25 and May 31. This 68-day period recorded more complaints than those received between March and May in the previous 10 years.
Madhavi, another worker at ATS Paradiso, said, “The rich look at us as if we are filthy people and do not care about cleanliness. That’s not true. We stay clean too. We are just as scared of the coronavirus as they are. They think that we will give them the virus”.
We often call the domestic helps the bravest people, our heroes. However, it is not their bravery that pushes them to wake up in the morning and go to work. They do for their family’s survival.
(The story first appeared in The Times of Bennett, the lab newspaper produced by the first semester students of The Times School of Media.)
Join exciting programmes offered by Bennett University
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