ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD
Members Only
lock close icon

In India’s Slums, Domestic Workers’ Daughters Campaign for Rights 

Daughter’s of domestic workers in Indian slums campaign for their rights. 

Published
Women
3 min read
story-hero-img
i
Aa
Aa
Small
Aa
Medium
Aa
Large
Hindi Female

Placing their hands on the shoulders of the person in front, dozens of teenage girls excitedly form a human train and chug around the sparsely furnished community hall in India’s southern city of Chennai.

Aged between 12 and 17, the girls - who are drawn from urban slums across the country - chatter, laugh and sing songs as the gathering gets underway. But within minutes a more sombre tone prevails as they settle cross-legged on the floor and begin to narrate the daily threats they face living in India’s slums.

ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD
To enter my home, I have to negotiate drunk men, lewd language, garbage and filth. My mother leaves very early for work and comes back only in the evening. I have to negotiate school and everything else alone.
Sayali Mandve, the daughter of a domestic worker, from Mumbai.

Mandve is one of almost 50 girls - daughters of domestic workers or former child maids themselves - who gathered in Chennai this week as part of a nationwide campaign to help curb the abuse of children from low income urban homes.

0
Daughter’s of domestic workers in Indian slums campaign for their rights. 
Almost 50 girls gathered in Chennai this week as part of a nationwide campaign to help curb the abuse of children from low income urban homes. (Photo: iStockphoto)
ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD
Mandve said she joined the campaign because she wanted to know her rights so she could protect herself and other children from abuse. “Where I live, we need a space to be children. We don’t get that easily and being part of this campaign makes me realise how important it is,” she said.

Such children often live in densely packed slum areas, say activists, where they are at risk of physical and sexual violence, or exposure to alcohol, drugs and other crimes. The meagre income of their families, who are already teetering on the brink, often means a major expense such as medical fees for illness or a sudden debt can compel parents to make their children quit school and take up a job.

ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

Led by the National Domestic Workers Movement, the campaign aims to help children of informal sector workers such as maids, nannies and drivers recognise threats, and equip them to better protect themselves.

The initiative is part of a child rights movement taking shape across the country. More than 5,000 children in slums have already been organised into a community and more are joining everyday.
Andrew Sesuraj of the Tamil Nadu Child Rights Observatory.
ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

Census data shows there were 4.35 million labourers aged between five and 14 in 2011 against 12.66 million a decade earlier - although activists say the figures are under-reported.

Most work in farming, toiling in cotton, sugarcane and rice paddy fields, or in the manufacturing sector, making products such as matchsticks, embroidering clothes or weaving carpets. Many children also work in the services sector - in restaurants and hotels or middle-class homes where they cook, clean and even take care of other children.

ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD
Daughter’s of domestic workers in Indian slums campaign for their rights. 
Census data shows there were 4.35 million labourers aged between five and 14 in 2011 against 12.66 million a decade earlier. (Photo: iStockphoto)
ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD
Children of domestic workers often drop out of school and end up doing odd jobs themselves. We are seeing a large number of boys working as domestic help now. They are walking the dogs, cleaning the cars and are out of schools just like the girls
Christin Mary, coordinator of the National Domestic Workers Movement.

Organisers say the campaign provides a platform for children to confront sensitive issues ranging from child labour to sexual abuse and will empower them with information on the laws dedicated for their care and protection.

(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)

Read Latest News and Breaking News at The Quint, browse for more from gender and women

Topics:  Human Rights   Slums of India 

Speaking truth to power requires allies like you.
Become a Member
3 months
12 months
12 months
Check Member Benefits
Read More
×
×