591 domestic workers murdered, tortured in last 10 years

Around 591 domestic workers were killed and tortured in Bangladesh between 2011 and 2020, most of whom are under 18 years old.

The Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) organised a virtual webinar on Sunday and presented the report based on a survey of media news stories.

According to the report, there were 44 victims in 2020, which is the lowest in 10 years. Among them, 16 were killed, four committed suicide, one went missing and 23 were injured.

Among the victims, 80% were under 18, while 20% were over 18. 12 women were raped.

Speakers at the meeting said it was critically important to introduce registration of domestic workers in every police station and ward councillor's office, allowing the administration and the local government to communicate with the government about assistance during an emergency.

They also demanded that laws and policies be formulated as full-time and part-time, per the employment nature of domestic workers.

ABM Khorshed Alam, a former additional secretary and consultant of World Bank, said, "Permanent workers were the most frequently abused amongst domestic workers. Separate policies need to be developed for part-time and full-time workers."

He added that child domestic workers should be actively discouraged, and the government should come forward in this regard. Having a database of domestic workers with identity cards would also prove to be extremely helpful.

BILS Joint Secretary General Dr Wajedul Islam Khan chaired the meeting while Abul Hossain, Acting Convener of the Network for the Establishment of Domestic Workers' Rights, moderated the event.

Nazma Yasmin, director of BILS and member secretary of the Network for the Establishment of Domestic Workers' Rights, presented the keynote paper.

Among others, Kazi Saifuddin Ahmed, labour adviser, Bangladesh Employers Federation; Kazi Abdul Hannan, president of Bangladesh Labour Rights Journalist Forum; Shaheen Akhter Dolly, executive director of Nari Maitree; Md Yusuf Al Mamun, deputy director and project coordinator of BILS, spoke on the occasion.