Recognising domestic help as an official job is inevitable to recognise the role of the job in society, said participants at a workshop in Hanoi on August 28 to release outcomes of several studies on home helpers.
Supported by the Netherlands’ Oxfam Novib and Germany’s Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung foundation, the event was a part of a project promoting domestic helpers’ rights in Vietnam.
According to four studies conducted by the Study Centre for Gender, Family and Community Development since 2007, women accounts for 98.7 percent of domestic workers, and 61.5 percent of them are in the 36-55 age group.
As most domestic helpers are of little education and do not receive any training, they have limited legal awareness. A majority of them find jobs through relatives or acquaintances, and almost all home helpers (more than 90 percent) do not have written labour contracts.
The surveys also showed that 61.1 percent of domestic helpers work more than 8 hours a day, and 35 percent work over 10 hours per day. Their wage is based on negotiation with employers, and usually increases every year.
At the workshop, participants said to ensure domestic workers’ rights, appropriate policies and measures are needed to turn home help into a professional job under strict management.
They suggested relevant sectors issue policies to support domestic workers, enhance management of the workforce, as well as build a training programme for this type of vocation.-VNA
Supported by the Netherlands’ Oxfam Novib and Germany’s Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung foundation, the event was a part of a project promoting domestic helpers’ rights in Vietnam.
According to four studies conducted by the Study Centre for Gender, Family and Community Development since 2007, women accounts for 98.7 percent of domestic workers, and 61.5 percent of them are in the 36-55 age group.
As most domestic helpers are of little education and do not receive any training, they have limited legal awareness. A majority of them find jobs through relatives or acquaintances, and almost all home helpers (more than 90 percent) do not have written labour contracts.
The surveys also showed that 61.1 percent of domestic helpers work more than 8 hours a day, and 35 percent work over 10 hours per day. Their wage is based on negotiation with employers, and usually increases every year.
At the workshop, participants said to ensure domestic workers’ rights, appropriate policies and measures are needed to turn home help into a professional job under strict management.
They suggested relevant sectors issue policies to support domestic workers, enhance management of the workforce, as well as build a training programme for this type of vocation.-VNA
