Domestic Workers in the Arab States

Four women holding signs in Arabic for Domestic Workers' Day celebration in Doha, Qatar

There are approximately 6.6 million domestic workers over the age of 15 employed in the Arab States, representing around 8.7 per cent of the total number of domestic workers globally. The sector represents a significant proportion of employment in the region, accounting for 12.3 per cent of total employment (in comparison to 2.3 per cent globally). The significance of this sector is even more stark in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, where domestic work accounts for between a fifth and a quarter of the labour force in most countries. While men outnumber women as domestic workers in the region (representing 63.4 per cent of the sector), domestic work is a very important sector for female employment – with domestic workers representing 32.4 per cent of female employment (and 34.6 per cent of female employees) in the Arab States.

The majority of migrant domestic workers in the Arab States originate from Asian and African countries such as Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Nepal, India and Ethiopia. These workers play a crucial role in the global economy and society, and the remittances they send home contribute to the welfare of their households.

In many Arab States, migrant domestic workers are excluded from national labour legislation, and are tied to their employers or the kafeel (sponsor) through a restrictive sponsorship system known as kafala. As a result, employers wield considerable power over their working and living conditions. Moreover, if an employer fails to renew the work and residence permit or if migrant domestic workers leave their employment without the employer’s permission, they fall into irregular status and become subject to arrest, detention and deportation.

The informal, unregulated and isolated nature of their work renders migrant domestic workers vulnerable to exploitation, abuse and forced labour. Often, they are denied many basic labour rights related to freedom of association, remuneration, working hours, periods of rest, retention of their identity documents, leave and freedom of movement outside the households they work in.

In June 2011, delegates at the 100th International Labour Conference adopted a historic international labour standard to improve the working conditions of domestic workers across the world. The ILO’s Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189) and the Domestic Workers Recommendation No. 201 stipulate that domestic workers should have the same labour rights as any other worker such as reasonable hours of work, weekly rest of at least 24 consecutive hours, a limit on in-kind payments, clear information on terms and conditions of employment, and rights in the recruitment process, as well as respect for fundamental rights at work, including non-discrimination in employment and freedom of association and collective bargaining.

The ILO strategy on domestic work serves as a unifying framework for coherent and integrated approaches and encompasses actions at global, regional, and country levels in five broad areas to:

Build and strengthen national institutions;

Facilitate the organization and representation of domestic workers and their employers;

Support the ratification and implementation of the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189) and the Domestic Workers Recommendation No. 201;

Raise awareness and advocate for domestic workers’ rights;

Build up the knowledge base on domestic work; and

Exchange experiences between countries.

The ILO strategy envisages support for countries that are committed to take action that improves the protection and working conditions of domestic workers, regardless of whether these involve ratifying and implementing the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189) and the Domestic Workers Recommendation No. 201 in the near future. The strategy also recognizes that substantive change in the lives of domestic workers requires building up of national capacities and institutions, as well as the long and complex process of changing social perceptions and attitudes surrounding domestic work and workers.

Focus Areas in the Arab States

The ILO works with governments, workers, employers and civil society in countries of origin and destination to improve protection of the rights of domestic workers as well as to prevent them from being trafficked or forced into labour. Accordingly, the ILO’s activities include:

Producing knowledge products and policy briefs on

issues faced by domestic workers-including Making decent work a reality for domestic workers in the Middle East: Progress & prospects ten years after the adoption of the Domestic Workers Convention(1)

Supporting governments to ratify and implement

the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189) (2) and the Domestic Workers Recommendation No. 201 (3)

Supporting governments to revise

laws and standard employment contracts that apply to domestic workers in order to bring them in line with national labour laws and international labour standards

Building governments’ capacity

through training to improve labour inspection and dispute resolution mechanisms

Undertaking reliable research

on the scale and nature of domestic worker migration as well as associated implications on social care provisions

Conducting workshops

on experience sharing and information sharing with key national stakeholders from different migrant worker destination countries in the Arab States

Raising awareness of domestic workers' issues

in countries of origin and destination to enhance knowledge of their rights and obligations

(1) Making decent work a reality for domestic workers in the Middle East: Progress and prospects ten years after the adoption of the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189)

(2) Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189)

(3) Domestic Workers Recommendation No. 201