Dealing with Gender Vulnerabilities of Women Migrants:in Reference to Female Domestic Workers of New Delhi

Women migrate for related reasons, contributing to the social and economic domain of the country of origin and destination. This section undergoes lots of discrimination and violation right from the level of entry into the country to other forms of differences, prejudices and inequity. The present paper concentrates on the issues, rights and protection under law (if any) of domestic workers migrating into the Union Territory of New Delhi, India. The financial cost of migration (ticket/agent fees and other charges), lack of authentic and adequate information about actual procedure of migration, living and working conditions at destination country, strong government agencies/instruments, discomfort with adjustment to values, culture, language at destination. Women domestic workers are more exposed to gender segregated and unregulated practices. Due to hidden character of work-abuse, violation-which is absent or less apparent along with low job satisfaction, poor working conditions, and sexual/physical abuse. Unorganized Social Security Act 2008(for workers in informal sector including domestic workers); Domestic Workers Welfare and Social Security Act (2010)(for registering domestic workers, rest period, leave, working hours, maternity benefits);inclusion of domestic workers in Rashtriya Swasthya Bema Yojana in 2011 for health insurance and Final Report of the Task Force on Domestic Workers (2012) by Ministry of Labor, India and ILO calls for domestic workers to be included in the Central List of Scheduled Employment. These are some major legal apparatus along with other minor state interferences to secure women domestic workers’ issues. Still they are excluded from Minimum Wages Provisions 1948, Maternity Benefits Act 1961, Compensation Act 1926, Equal Remuneration Act 1976, Employees’ State Insurance Act, Provident Fund Act, Gratuity Act 1972 and many other benefits. To enable availability of mechanisms for support, their thorough assessment is necessary.