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Post |
| cyberpal |
Posted
on 12-Dec-01 02:47 PM
I've come across some disturbing discussion among fellow nepalis about few Nepali bringing aboard Nepali domestic helpers from Nepal and not treating them properly.
I don't know it for a fact thus I thought I'd start a thread and get the dicussion going. Does anyone know of such incident and would like to share?
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| Gandhi |
Posted
on 12-Dec-01 03:09 PM
I don't know what's happening here in the US, but I have seen an example in Thailand. Both husband and wife worked there and took a girl with them to look after their kids. Just given food and clothes plus about 8 dollars a month for all sort of works. May be there are few more examples.
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| cyberpal |
Posted
on 12-Dec-01 03:22 PM
The story I heard is also in the similiar line. This person is getting paid nothing for doing all the house chores and taking care of the baby. She's even kept under constant surveillance so that she doesn't chat with other people visiting the house etc.
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| sunakhari |
Posted
on 12-Dec-01 03:26 PM
If I'm not being too nosy, is the person dependent on the employers for her visa? Is this person bound to the employer in any way?
Is this person allowed to work here legally?
If yes, then the person can file complaints against the employer. I had brought someone to work here in the US as a househelp and I am well acquainted with those issues.
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| _BP |
Posted
on 12-Dec-01 04:09 PM
Servant mistreatment is definitely a problem. However, I believe this to be just as rampant in Nepal as it is abroad. This is sort of a mora dilemma. I personally would find it hard to have a live-in servant, but is this not providing some people with a way to make a living? Especially if they are paid a salaray and given time to go to school etc?
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| Gandhi |
Posted
on 12-Dec-01 04:46 PM
Let me go to Nepal for this domestic issue. Most of the household workers, including ones with my close friends, don't get proper treatment. They mean to look after the kids all the time either to comfort the houselady or to avail her time to work outside. This happens especially when the kids are young. Instead of giving them education after the kids are grown, the workers are later returned their home. Now these returned workers either work at their village or go to other people to work as grown up maid. No opportunity of education any time. Many such examples I have experienced closely in some parts of Nawalparasi district.
This could be one issue of exploiting child labor than a exploitation of matured domestic workers. It is bitter truth that people try to hire a girl between the age of 10-13 for this purpose. Younger than this - can't help. Older than this - needs to commit more responsibility against their safeguarding with their parents.
Any one has knowledge on exploitation of mature domestic workers?
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| Horizon |
Posted
on 12-Dec-01 05:25 PM
Yes, domestic help abuse is more common even in US than perceived. A prominent Nepali family from DC area had brought in a female domestic help from Nepal in the late 80s. I have been to this house in question and met this helper personally but don't know if she was mistreated because like any other kid, I didn't really care. A few years later, she took them to court ( assuming she no longer had legal obligation) and the family was asked to pay a heft fine. I believe she sued them for paying less than the minimum wage.
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| SP |
Posted
on 12-Dec-01 06:03 PM
While chiming on the subject of the domestic help, there are two other areas that needs to be looked into:
a)The officers of the RN Army constantly use the jawans to construct their houses and do other household chores. The jawans are expected to do much beyond the call of their duty. I am not talking of just the orderly attached to an officer but in general the force is used for constructing the houses of the officers. The higher ranking the officer, more jawans at his service for personal work.
b)Many of the government officers use the peons for their household chores. This is an exploitation.
Specific examples? You can see it anywhere in the houses of the RNA officers. The jawans are treated more like the domestic servants, not just beyond the call of their duty but beyond the dignity of a soldier committed to the defence of the country. The peons doing a double duty at the officials' house seems quite common. Some are even asked to wash the dirty clothes of their wives and family.
These officers have no guilt feeling. The problem lies everywhere.
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| cyberpal |
Posted
on 12-Dec-01 06:08 PM
sunakhari , I really don't know the details of the case. I heard some people talking about it in a Nepali get together and thought I'd start a discussion here.
Gandhi ji, the situation in Nepal is a little different. Its more of a TINA syndrome. There Is No Alternative. I remember German, USA etc slapping an embargo on import of Carpets from Nepal to prevent child labor. Those children who got laid off because of the embargo didn't end up in school but rather on the streets having lost their only livelihood. The servernt phenomenon in Nepal is nothing but one of the byproducts of extreme poverty.
Prior to coming to US, washing my dishes and clothes were as abnormal to me as its normal now.
What I'm worried about is the extension of that mentality while living in this country. Once someone lands up here they can make a decent, dignified living even as an illigeal alien.
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