Bonded labour
Laily, a ten-year-old girl, was sharing something with her sister Moina near Malibagh intersection in the last evening when I was passing them. Suddenly, Moina started crying, but Laily remained silent. Taken aback, I peered at them and found an elderly woman torturing Moina and demanding money. After the woman had left I approached them and inquired about their whereabouts. What they told me was heart-rending. Laily works as a domestic help and has to do a lot of work including washing clothes, cleaning dishes, decorating the interior objects, taking care of children, mopping the floor and so on. She said, ‘My monthly payment is only Tk one thousand. When I requested the owner to increase my payment, he said that they had to spend a lot on my foods and clothing and that it was not possible to spend any more. Moina is my little sister and has been working as a domestic help for eight months. But she has not received any payment and for this reason she could not pay anything to that woman who happens to be our custodian. That is why she slapped Moina. We need to pay her Tk three hundred per month. She has a number of girls and boys under her custody, who are engaged in different types of risky jobs.’ However, to ensure a minimum living standard for these children, the government needs to approve the draft Domestic Worker Protection and Welfare Policy, specifying their salary structure and other terms and conditions relating to their rights as labourers, to protect them.
Bipul K Debnath
Dhaka College, Dhaka
