Conduct survey on child domestic workers in the State, say rights activists

Experts and child rights activists have stressed the need to survey the prevalence of child domestic workers in Tamil Nadu.

Recalling the murder of a 16-year-old girl who was employed as a domestic help in Aminjikarai, Josephine Valarmathi, chief functionary of the Tamilnadu Domestic Workers Welfare Board, said: “Domestic workers are some of the most invisible labourers in the world. As they work behind closed doors, tracking child domestic workers and ensuring their safety is difficult.”

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that globally 17.2 million children are in paid or unpaid domestic work at the home of a third party or employer. Further, 67.1% of all child domestic workers are girls. 

In another case, a 15-year-old girlfrom Jharkhand, who was engaged in domestic work in Madhavaram, was rescued by the police.

However, the employers were merely fined for violating labour laws, as domestic work is not considered hazardous in India.

The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016, prohibits engaging children below 14 years in domestic work, which it describes as hazardous.

According to the Act, adolescents aged 15-18 are allowed to work with certain conditions, which includes rest. Further, the employer is supposed to give notice to the inspector regarding the employment of the child.

According to child rights activists, there are two aspects that the State needs to address to prevent such exploitation. The first is having a uniform definition of a child.