Document Type
Article
Disciplines
International Law
Abstract
The International Labor Organization (ILO)'s adoption of the Decent Work for Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189) and accompanying Recommendation, 2011 (No. 201) was historic. The new treaty and non-binding recommendation came six decades after the ILO adopted its first resolution on the conditions of employment of domestic workers,' and four decades after its second resolution2 on the "urgent need" for standards for these historically marginalized workers. By the conservative estimate of 67.1 million domestic workers worldwide,' the employment numbers are staggering when compared with another, predominantly male occupational sector - seafarers - about which the ILO has adopted a vast number of international labor standards over its almost 100 year history. Domestic work includes a vast range of functions, responsibilities and tasks. And during standard setting, there was little contestation by the ILO or its unique tripartite constituents - comprising representatives of workers, employers and governments around the world - that domestic work was frequently rendered 'invisible' and was 'undervalued' in large measure because of the historical marginalization.
Recommended Citation
Medici, Gabriela and Blackett, Adelle, "Ratification as International Solidarity - Reflections on Switzerland and Decent Work for Domestic Workers" (2016). Connecticut Journal of International Law. 565.
https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/cjil/565
Accessibility Requirements
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