Securing Rights of Women Domestic Workers in Bangladesh

This project aims to improve the well-being of women domestic workers in Bangladesh. Approximately 1.8 million Bangladeshi women are employed as domestic workers in Dhaka many facing gender-based violence on a regular basis. These women are disadvantaged due to lack of skills and specific vulnerabilities leading to routine exploitation and abuse and lack of awareness of and protection for their rights. Project activities include: (1) providing women with skills training for formal job opportunities; (2) increasing women’s awareness of and protection of their rights; and (3) building the capacity of the Government of Bangladesh and its civil society partners to implement and monitor the Domestic Worker Protection and Welfare Policy.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) women domestic workers in Dhaka are empowered and organized to claim and defend their rights particularly their right to live free from violence; and (2) Bangladeshi society government and employers increasingly support the protection of rights of women domestic workers recognizing domestic work as a formal profession.