International Domestic Workers Day 2016: A renewed hope for UK Migrant Domestic Workers

Justice For Domestic Workers gathered at Old Palace Yard. UK Parliament to celebrate the International Domestic Workers Day o June 19, 2016.Miss Saroj Toppo, a Domestic Worker and J4DW Chairperson in her welcome speech on International Domestic Workers Day celebration, June 19, 2016.

''We gather today to celebrate the International Domestic Workers Day. It was June 16 when the International convention 189 on domestic workers was voted. Every year we honour and recognize the many contributions that domestic workers make to our economy and around the world.

This is also to celebrate the accomplishments of Justice For Domestic Workers and the global movement of domestic workers. To date, we have now 22 countries that have ratified the ILO Convention 189.

This is also to remind the UK Government the urgent need to restore the rights of domestic workers they removed in 2012 leaving domestic workers in abusive system in exploitative employment. We re-affirmed our strong call for UK Government to ratify the ILO C189 now! J4DW continue to fight for dignity and recognition of domestic work—we are mostly women, women who clean our homes, take care of our children and care for the elderly and help build families that made of our society.

Domestic Workers provide love and care free of hate and harm. No matter what work we do, where we live, what we look like, where we pray, or who we love, we are all connected.

Today we also paid respect, shared peace and love to our Labour MP Jo Cox and to the victims of Orlando shooting. It is our desire to stop hate and stand for love. When acts of cruelty happen in any of our communities, we all must respond with care and action. That is the work that we do and the values we uphold as domestic workers.

We thank you all for your support. Let us all unite and work together for a more caring and just society to make our world a better one.''

A J4DW member rendered her own struggle through poem

For coverage of the Guests speakers supporters, here is the article from co-organiser of this IDW Day 2016 event One Billion Rising . More information of the event in this blog coverage

It was a beautiful celebration with renewed hope that the fight for rights of domestic workers continue despite UK Government rejection.