Bharat Dogra details the tough grind of women who travel long distances to do housework at various homes in return for paltry sums. Bringing in a law to ensure fair pay and welfare benefits for domestic workers is clearly an urgent need, he says
Aasmeen is a domestic worker who lives in Haiderpur Hut Colony in Delhi. Her day starts at 5 am. Her eyes are still full of sleep at that hour, but she has to get off the bed and plunge into work. She does her household chores and cooks for her seven-member family before she leaves home at 9 am, to take a bus to her place of work about five km away.
Aasmeen does the cleaning and washing in four households during her normal workday. She finishes the first round by about 1 pm and goes to a nearby park to eat the modest lunch she has brought with her. But she can’t avail of even this short break during the rains or on very hot days. During the recent heat wave conditions, this period became more of a punishment, as she had to endure exposure to the extremely hot weather. She continues with her work schedule after the short lunch break, and it’s usually past 4 pm when finishes. Back she goes, to look after the needs of her own family.
An added issue is the serious water shortage in Haiderpur Colony. Aasmeen’s family has to fetch water from a tap some distance away, and they have to be present there as early as 3 to 4 am to ensure they get a turn at the tap. The recent spell of extremely hot weather exacerbated existing problems. Aasmeen shares that she suffers from body aches, but the pain increased during the extreme weather. Often, she feels drained of all energy, she says, but has to struggle on with her regular work.
Aasmeen earns just about Rs 6000 a month from the four houses where she works. She realises she’s being underpaid, but in the absence of a better alternative, she continues to work so that she can contribute to the family kitty and help meet her children’s needs. Her husband, who is a loader at a fruit market, works even harder. He has to leave home as early as 3 am, as trucks bringing supplies reach the market in the wee hours. He carries heavy loads, risking his health. And he’s able to earn only Rs 700 or 800 a day. Aasmeen is sad that she is unable to give adequate time to her family. “It is very difficult for me to get a day’s leave,” she says.
While Aasmeen’s life is a relentless grind, some other domestic workers have to travel even longer distances and work in even more difficult situations. This is particularly the case with hut dwellers who were relocated to distant places, and, finding it difficult to get work in new areas, keep serving the households where they were working earlier, despite the distance. Several women of households resettled in Bawana now travel about 25 km daily (up and down) to work. They have to leave very early and return late, spending almost the entire day away from home, in return for very poor pay. Bringing in a law to ensure fair pay and welfare benefits for domestic workers is clearly an urgent need.
(The writer is a senior freelance journalist and author who has been associated with several social movements and initiatives. He lives in New Delhi.)
from Webdoux