Photo by Domestic Workers United
The Salvation Army’s Freedom Partnership and Walk Free has launched a new campaign that aims to enhance the rights and protection of domestic workers in Australia.
The ‘Demand Dignity for Domestic Workers’ campaign calls upon the Australian government to sign and ratify the International Labor Organization Convention 189 (ILO C189).
Labor Market Information Portal figures show that there are around 54,000 domestic workers in Australia today, 90 per cent of of whom are women.
Many of these domestic workers travel to Australia unaware they may be experience exploitation.
National Manager of the Salvation Army’s Freedom Partnership, Jenny Stanger, says it’s time for Australia to become a leader on this issue.
“There’s a name for this sort of treatment … that being modern slavery,” Ms Stanger said.
“The UN Special Rapporteur and others have called for ratification in the past and it is high time Australia followed the lead of other nations by signing and ratifying into law this treaty.”
Examples of exploitation include 16-hour days without breaks, violence and threats, and little or no pay.
One domestic worker, whose experience was documented in The Australian Institute of Criminology’s 2014 report, said her employer would say such things to her as “You must iron my clothes and make my food whenever I like and whatever I like … You must care for me … You are here to do the housework … otherwise it’s no use keeping you here.”
Managing partner at law firm Salvos Legal Humanitarian, Luke Geary, said there are immense challenges for victims in achieving legal outcomes.
“It can be difficult, especially in recovering wages they never received,” Mr Geary said.
“Articles 16 & 17 of the convention are important in that they obligate the government to ensure access to effective complaint mechanisms. This can be challenging if victims are being threatened with deportation.”
Research manager at Walk Free and lead author of the Global Slavery Index, Katharine Bryant, says the 2013 index estimates more than 3000 people are living in modern day slavery in Australia.
“There have been abhorrent situations where domestic workers have been forced to work long days, abused verbally and physically by their employers, denied freedom and their wages,” Ms Bryant said.
“Is it too much to ask for domestic workers to receive basic protections under the law?”
