Success Nwankwo
The International Labour Organisation have urged the Federal Government to enact laws that will protect domestic workers’ social rights and employment rights.
In a paper titled “From Global Care Crisis to Quality at Home: The Case for Including Domestic Workers in Care Policies and Ensuring Their Rights at Work,” the Organisation noted that although domestic workers were becoming more and more important in the care industry, they were not covered by social protection.
Governments, labour unions, and business associations were encouraged to guarantee domestic workers’ access to social protection and employment rights.
According to ILO estimates, of the 75.6 million domestic workers worldwide, 75% were women.
It stated that the rights of domestic workers are essential to achieving gender equality because of the disproportionate presence of women in society.
The statement read, “Countries are looking to improve female labour market participation in the face of significant labour shortages, which is often dependent on the existence of sufficient quality care services.”
The ILO statef that in order to draw in job seekers, care jobs—including domestic labor—must be of a high enough calibre.
It clarified that domestic workers were essential to the provision of care and might be employed directly by a home or through a public or commercial service provider.
“Even when only counting those employed directly by households, domestic workers account for at least 25 per cent of all paid care workers, including nurses, teachers, doctors, and personal care workers,” the report further stated.
It went on to say that in nations with low levels of investment in the care sector, the proportion of domestic workers among care workers was significantly greater.
It was observed that among domestic workers who experience numerous forms of discrimination, including based on migrant status and ethnic or indigenous background, these gaps in protection and access to services are more evident.
According to ILO projections, 200 million older people who are at or above the age of healthy life expectancy and 1.9 billion children under the age of 15 would require care by 2030.
“However, this represents a combined increase of 200 million people in need of care, compared to 2015.
“In addition, the United Nations anticipates an increase in long-term care needs with the proportion of older persons (aged 60 or more) in the global population expected to rise from 13.5 per cent in 2020 to 21.4 per cent by 2050 and 28.2 per cent by 2100,” it indicated.
The ILO noted that the care economy is anticipated to expand in tandem with rising demand as a result of demographic shifts.
“If investment meets demand and guarantees decent work to care workers, the care economy could create an estimated 300 million jobs by 2035 and reduce gender inequalities,” it stated.