Domestic Workers

Address

Virginie Nivas No. 106,
1st Cross Shushruthi Layout,
Basapura, Electronic City P O 560 100,
Bangalore.

Tel: (080) 25743464,
Mob: 9448244398.

No of Religious : 2

Services

Imbibing the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, namely, to re-discover the raison-detre of the Congregation of the Franciscan Servants of Mary, Sr. Nisha felt called to work for the welfare of the domestic workers in Karnataka, as intended originally by our Foundress. this inner call was reverberated by the concrete request by then Provincial, Sr. Paula, who not only encourged her, but also left her free for this special social involvement with the movement of the Domestic Workers, which was gracefully supported by Sr. Jeanne Devos I.C.M.

In this sense, 2002 marks an important turning-point in Sr. Nisha’s life. It was in September that year that she started coordinating the work of the movement in the state of Karnataka. The Karnataka Domestic Workers Movement (KDWM) began in 2002 with Sr. Nisha as its State Coordinator with the charism spirit of the Franciscan Servants of Mary. It began as an extension of the works of the National Domestic Workers Movement which is engaged in advocacy programs in other States of India. Now in Karnataka it is spread to other districts other than Bangalore, like Kolar, Mysore, Mandya, Shimoga, and Chikmangalore. Presently it is functioning under the care of this community with the following objectives:

Educate domestic workers about their rights and duties as workers
Empower domestic workers to fight for their recognition, identify their common, work- related issues and seek solutions through various groups.
Provide medical and legal aid for domestic workers
Advocate for the acknowledgement of domestic work as a respectable occupation by the public, employers and the Government.
Campaign and lobby with the Government to enact laws for the protection of the rights of domestic workers including better treatment, wages, benefits and social security schemes.
Facilitate proper work contracts for domestic workers to ensure fairness from their employers.
Restore rights of children in domestic work and provide them with opportunities to create a positive future through residential care and education.