At Least Three Laws in Ten Years, But Nothing Concrete!
The professional status of domestic workers has not really changed. They are still struggling with precariousness, without social security, health insurance, or employment contracts. And yet, they are still forced to fight for their livelihood. The Press — This purely socio-human issue has never been addressed by those directly concerned, who are supposed to be the most qualified to organize and put an end to its informal nature. "Avocats sans frontières (ASF)", a component of national civil society, reviews the state of a sector considered synonymous with forced labor, revealing a daily feminine ordeal.
A Fragile Professional Profile
On this syndrome of overexploitation, partly due to the non-application of the law, lawyers, social actors, and experts in the field have continued to advocate for domestic work that breaks with all forms of precariousness and reconnects with human dignity, within a legal professional framework. It was during a workshop held on Thursday in Tunis that the social study conducted by the "ASF" organization, related to the difficulties faced by domestic workers, revealed all its secrets. The testimonies and data collected in the field exposed complex contractual relationships, questioning a legal system that is out of touch with the socio-economic reality of this disadvantaged category.
A Sector on the Margins of Development
Thus, agricultural workers and domestic workers do not benefit from the most basic rights. This is a sector on the margins of any development work. And despite legislative advances made to protect it, domestic work seems poorly structured, with limited access to protection and justice mechanisms. Moreover, these women present, according to the study, a professional profile so fragile that it exposes them to all forms of exploitation, sometimes bordering on unacknowledged slavery. Uneducated and from disadvantaged social classes, domestic workers have difficulty defending themselves or claiming their right to a fair employment contract, allowing them to negotiate a guaranteed monthly salary, with social security affiliation.
Towards Dignified and Decent Domestic Work
Note that the study in question was based on a case methodology, using semi-directive and individual interviews with women engaged in domestic work, as well as meetings with legal actors and lawyers focused on the existing legislative framework. It is a critical reading of Law No. 37 of 2021 on domestic work, Law No. 61 of 2016 on the prevention of human trafficking, and Decree-Law No. 33 of 2020 related to the self-employment regime, as well as the law on combating violence against women and other international references. These laws should have surrounded this socio-professional category with special solicitude and played the role of a safeguard against potential violations committed against them. All these texts together could also constitute more professional and social guarantees, a guarantee of dignified and decent domestic work. Supervisor of the study, Sofiane Jaballah, professor of sociology, indicated that the data revealed a permanent structural risk that could further aggravate the situation.
What to Do to Protect These Domestic Workers?
In the absence of professional alternatives and the obligation to provide for their families' needs, domestic workers find themselves between a rock and a hard place. They suffer in their flesh. What can be done to protect these domestic workers? Why has the law not been applied and the Labor Code revised to integrate these domestic workers into the formal economy? It remains that this sector must free itself from all discriminatory stereotypes, treating domestic workers with the utmost crudeness. For, in the absence of law enforcement, no one will have access to their rights. Read also: Green Jobs: From Unemployment to Eco-Entrepreneurship
