Institute of Development Studies (IDS)
United Kingdom, India
As a partner on the cross-country comparative action research project, Countering Backlash: Reclaiming Gender Justice led by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), UK, Gender at Work Consulting – India (GWCL) now GenderSphere is working in close collaboration with the Shahri Mahila Kaamgar Union (SMKU – Urban Women Workers’ Union), New Delhi to bear witness, build knowledge and identify strategies to counter the backlash faced by domestic workers in India through engaged research, capacity building and dissemination.
As part of this work, this Storybook, Reversing Domestic Workers’ Rights: Stories of Backlash and Resilience in Delhi, highlights the worsening precarities experienced by domestic workers in the face of the pandemic and prolonged lockdowns. The stories have been collated by Chaitali Haldar with the support of SMKU. The Storybook has been designed and illustrated by Mrinalini Godara. It has also benefited from the work of an editorial team consisting of Swati Singh, Neha Kirpal, Kanaka Cadambi, Miriam Thangaraj and Rupa Krishnan.
The Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns severely worsened domestic workers’ lives and working conditions. The workers, the vast majority of whom are women, faced significant wage cuts, 24-hour workdays, violent and hateful abuse, and non-existent job security.
‘Reversing Domestic Workers’ Rights: Stories of backlash and Resilience in Delhi’ is a timely and important new storybook produced by Gender at Work Consulting – India. It shares 12 stories from domestic workers living in Delhi NCR, and the often-tragic tales of their lives. Most often, the terrible way domestic workers are treated by their employers and society is shaped around gendered backlash, and the blocking or dismantling any social and/or legal gains they may have. This is particularly pronounced for domestic workers who are Muslim, who, on top of the existing discrimination, face intense Islamophobia.
‘10-20 saal peechche chale gaye’ (‘we have gone back 10-20 years’) in terms of rights, shares one domestic worker during our interviews for the story book.
The storybook also highlights the crucial support that domestic worker collectives and unions can provide, such as the Shahri Mahila Kaamgar Union (SMKU – an unregistered union working with domestic workers in the Delhi-NCR region). During the pandemic, they provided support with rations, e-ration cards, and access to government support schemes.
The storybook also shares original and beautiful illustrations that portray the life of domestic workers.