<p>Bengaluru: In observance of International Women’s Day, the Bangalore International Centre (BIC) hosted a seminar titled ‘Her Labour, Her Law’, shedding light on the systemic exploitation and legal invisibility of domestic workers in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/karnataka">Karnataka</a>.</p>.<p>Geetha Menon, Co-Founder of Stree Jagruti Samiti, spoke at the event and traced the evolution of the movement from the 1980s. She pointed out that while the economy has transitioned to an urbanised wage system, the employer-employee relationship in domestic work remains firmly entrenched in a feudal mindset.</p>.'Formulate police verification mechanism for live-in domestic workers': Karnataka High Court to govt.<p>“We discovered children working in residential apartments from morning to night,” Geetha recalled, sharing an instance where an employer claimed the right to employ minors. She stressed that the fight for domestic workers’ rights is inherently tied to the intersectionality of caste, class, and gender. The seminar also featured personal accounts of workplace discrimination.</p>.<p>Gayatri, treasurer of the Domestic Workers Rights Union, spoke about the ongoing inequalities in HSR Layout and surrounding areas. She described how workers are frequently denied access to toilets and are served tea in separate utensils, despite working for high-earning professionals.</p>.<p>“They earn lakhs, but they won’t pay us fairly. If we take even a few days off, our wages are immediately cut,” Gayatri explained, highlighting that, despite years of organising, government support has been minimal.</p>.<p>Legal expert Vinay K Sreenivasa from the Alternative Law Forum and Pushpa, president of the Domestic Workers Rights Union, both echoed the need for stronger legal frameworks to protect workers from arbitrary wage cuts and social exclusion.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: In observance of International Women’s Day, the Bangalore International Centre (BIC) hosted a seminar titled ‘Her Labour, Her Law’, shedding light on the systemic exploitation and legal invisibility of domestic workers in <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/tags/karnataka">Karnataka</a>.</p>.<p>Geetha Menon, Co-Founder of Stree Jagruti Samiti, spoke at the event and traced the evolution of the movement from the 1980s. She pointed out that while the economy has transitioned to an urbanised wage system, the employer-employee relationship in domestic work remains firmly entrenched in a feudal mindset.</p>.'Formulate police verification mechanism for live-in domestic workers': Karnataka High Court to govt.<p>“We discovered children working in residential apartments from morning to night,” Geetha recalled, sharing an instance where an employer claimed the right to employ minors. She stressed that the fight for domestic workers’ rights is inherently tied to the intersectionality of caste, class, and gender. The seminar also featured personal accounts of workplace discrimination.</p>.<p>Gayatri, treasurer of the Domestic Workers Rights Union, spoke about the ongoing inequalities in HSR Layout and surrounding areas. She described how workers are frequently denied access to toilets and are served tea in separate utensils, despite working for high-earning professionals.</p>.<p>“They earn lakhs, but they won’t pay us fairly. If we take even a few days off, our wages are immediately cut,” Gayatri explained, highlighting that, despite years of organising, government support has been minimal.</p>.<p>Legal expert Vinay K Sreenivasa from the Alternative Law Forum and Pushpa, president of the Domestic Workers Rights Union, both echoed the need for stronger legal frameworks to protect workers from arbitrary wage cuts and social exclusion.</p>
