RWAs to prepare database of domestic helps

Gurugram deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav said that all the resident welfare associations (RWAs) will be responsible for collecting and maintaining a database of all domestic helps

A week after the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) had asked the district administration to collect data base of all domestic helps working in the district, deputy commissioner issue an order on Tuesday. The recommendation comes in the wake of a case of abuse of teenage domestic help from Jharkhand by her employers in Gurugram on February 7.

Editorial discretion required : Gurugram, India-February 10, 2023: The mother of 14-year-old domestic help arrives at New Colony police station with Jharkhand police to take his daughter, in Gurugram, India, on Friday, 10 February 2023. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)

Gurugram deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav said that all the resident welfare associations (RWAs) will be responsible for collecting and maintaining a database of all domestic helps. “The decision is taken for welfare and protection of rights of scheduled tribes from various states of India employed in the district as domestic help,” he said.

DC issued directions such to collect a comprehensive database of all domestic help working in district to be prepared by concerned RWAs of homes located in their respective areas. He has also asked them to share the data with district administration and police.

“ All placement agencies, domestic employers will report regarding domestic help such as which placement agency has placed, gender, whether belonging to a vulnerable section, permanent address, aadhar card number, mobile number. If not available, then its duty of placement agencies/ domestic employers to ensure that the domestic help has proper identity card mentioning age It will be duty of district registrar (Firms and Societies), Gurugram to ensure that all RWAs comply with this provision,” said Yadav.

The DC also directed district registrar to submit a compliance report in the office within one month.

DC said regular intermittent and periodic inspections (physically or on call) are to be carried out by teams constituted by the Women and Child Department and Police in coordination with district administration to check up on conditions of domestic help deployed.

“All the RWAs will monitor and report any violations of domestic helpers deployed in their concerned complexes. Purpose or Inspections is to check general well-being of domestic helpers and if there are any violations of their legal right,” said Yadav.

The order stated that special attention has to be given to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012, Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, relevant provisions of Indian Penal Code, Child Labour Act 1986, Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976, the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, and any other instructions issued by Centrall State authorities.

The DC said that awareness campaigns will be organised for spreading awareness about the rights of domestic helpers, especially people of vulnerable sections of women, Scheduled Tribes and migrants so that welfare of those sections can be ensured as per legal provisions and citizens are aware of rights of their domestic helps,” he said.

Officials said that the district information and public relations officer will be nodal officer for organizing it and engaging all RWAs.