Radha (name changed to protect identity), a former survivor of trafficking and victim of bonded labour launching the campaign

16 June 2011: International Labour Organization (ILO), Convention supplemented by a Recommendation on Decent Work for Domestic Workers, has been adopted on the 16th June' 2011. The need to improve domestic workers' living and working conditions across the world is being felt for decades and this marks the beginning of such improvements through legislations and policies.

On this very important issue and burning problem with large scale national and international ramifications, especially on trafficking and forced labour, Bachpan Bacaho Andolan (BBA) has launched a nation wide campaign across India, on 12th June '2011, the World Day Against Child Labour Day,  across 300 villages in 9 states.

In Delhi, 225 Resident Welfare Associations came together in various colonies to pledge their support to the campaign in several programmes organized throughout the city. The campaign is spearheaded specially in the rural areas. In this campaign, the Members of parliament, judiciary, administration and police services have joined the campaign by pasting the stickers in their homes.

The campaign was kicked of by Radha (name changed to protect identity), a former survivor of trafficking and bonded labour. Radha was trafficked from Jharkhand, at the age of 12 years and was sent to Punjab to work as a domestic help. on the contrary she was not just made a domestic worker but was forced into sexual slavery as she was being raped repeatedly by the male members of the family. When she started protesting vocally and threatened to inform the police they sent her back to the placement agency ( agencies supplying domestic helps) but her ordeal did not end. The owner of the placement agency took her to another place where she was again raped and got pregnant. When her trafficker  found out, they forced the medical termination of her pregnancy and threw her out into the streets. The trauma, feeling of humiliation continued till the time the accused was arrested (after BBA's intervention).

Shri. R.S. Chaurasia, BBA, Chairperson  said, “ BBA has launched the campaign on 12th June'11, to bring to light this hidden form of invisible slavery. We also demand India to be the first country to ratify International Labour Organization (ILO), Convention supplemented by a Recommendation on decent work for domestic workers”.

Kailash Satyarthi, Chairperson, Global March Against Child Labour and Founder of BBA said, “Adoption of this convention is a recognition of the inhumane conditions many of the domestic workers go through and justice for them is inevitable. It is good that this has been bought under the ambit of labour standards. Speedy ratification of this convention, will provide domestic workers recognition as human beings.”