Human Rights monitor
Plight of a child domestic worker
Oli Md. Abdullah Chowdhury
“All citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law”, stated in Article 27 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. The constitution is the source of all laws prevailing in Bangladesh. In practice, an oppressed coming from vulnerable groups seldom gets equal protection. Rather, marginalised people, particularly women and children, often cry for justice when they become victim of torture and violence. Although judiciary was finally separated from executive during the tenure of current government and there were high rhetoric before and after, there is hardly any remedial measure when a child domestic worker becomes victim of torture, cruel and inhuman treatment.
In urban areas of Bangladesh, children working in households often become victim of violence and maltreatment. Ironically, some housewives despite being women take the lead in committing acts of torture, as reported in newspapers on a number of occasions. This time, leading newspapers reported that a domestic worker became victim at the house of a senior judicial official in Sylhet Metropolitan Area. There had been report of torture published in several newspapers including Prothom Alo (Saturday, June 7, 2008) that the child domestic worker had been persecuted while she was kept under lock and key in the official residence of Chief Judicial Magistrate in Sylhet. Human rights organisations further alleged that police did not record the case although victim herself described the incident while attending police at the police station in person.
The child domestic worker, namely, Ratna (15) informed police that she had been brutally tormented by the wife of the magistrate while working in the house of a magistrate in Sylhet. Later, it was revealed that the girl used to work in the house of Chief Judicial Magistrate at Pathantula, Sylhet. While contacted by the journalists, the suspect accused of plotting against her. On the other hand, journalists saw marked injury in different parts of victim's body including chest, back, thigh and tongue. The girl was sent to ward after treating in One Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC) in Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital.
Bangladesh not only ratified more than 12 UN human rights treaties and 4 optional protocols, but also is a member of UN Human Rights Council. Bangladesh is one of those countries that became the earliest signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the most venerated human rights convention. Bangladesh also signed Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and ILO Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour.
According to the National Child Labour Survey for 2002-2003, carried out by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (2003), the number of child domestic workers in the whole of Bangladesh is 155,883. However, an estimate reached by the NGO Shoishab in 1999 was that there were 300,000 in Dhaka alone, of which 225,000 were girls (Shoishab 1999). Although there is no independent statistics available for other cities, significant number of girls involved in domestic work are prone to violence and maltreatment.
When Bangladesh submitted 5th periodic report, the CEDAW Committee called on the State party to ensure the effective implementation of the existing legislation to combat all forms of violence against women and to adopt specific legislation on domestic violence within a clear time frame, in order to ensure that women and girls who are victims of violence and sexual harassment have access to protection and effective redress, and perpetrators of such acts are effectively prosecuted and punished.
“States Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child”, as provided in Article 19 of UNCRC. Significant numbers of incidents of torture against child domestic workers are being reported in the newspaper each year. Obviously, there are stories that don't appear in the newspaper where guardians suppressed the incident out of fear. State has so far failed to take appropriate measures to protect children, particularly those working as domestic workers.
Again, children have the right to be protected from economic exploitation. It has been asserted in Article 32 (1), “States Parties recognize the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child's education, or to be harmful to the child's health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development”. Children involved in domestic work often become victim of both economic exploitation and maltreatment.
However, UNCRC lays the responsibility with the state. “States Parties recognize the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child's education, or to be harmful to the child's health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development”. State has three particular responsibilities in this regard. Firstly, there must be a minimum age or admission to employment. Secondly, law must determine regulation of the hour and conditions of employment. Thirdly, there should be a provision for appropriate penalties or other sanctions to ensure the effective enforcement of laws and regulations. Unfortunately, we do not have any comprehensive regulation or law regarding child domestic workers in Bangladesh.
According to Article 37 of the UNCRC, it lies with the state that it shall ensure no child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Notwithstanding obligations under international law, there is no formal mechanism to date to regulate child domestic work in Bangladesh. There is a Domestic Servants' Registration Ordinance of 1961 that requires domestic servants to register themselves with the police station. Again, this law does not delineate any rights and privileges for domestic workers nor does it define the obligations of employers. As a result, there is no formal mechanism to address the rights of child domestic worker.
To recapitulate, child domestic workers are extremely vulnerable as they are deprived of family environment. Even in the face of gruesome torture, they are forced to suffer silently in most cases. Human rights organisations have called for codification of a comprehensive law regarding child domestic worker for a long period. Subsequent government though failed, this government should act now as reform is needed in legal aspect of children. As there is currently action being taken against corrupts by bringing them to justice, there must be adequate law against the oppressor of children.
The writer is human rights worker.
