DWELLING ON THE SIDELINES: A STUDY OF MIGRANT DOMESTIC WORKERS IN THIRUVALLUR DISTRICT

In Spite Of being one of the oldest and most significant services of the Informal sector for millions of individuals in India, domestic work is frequently devalued as well as poorly controlled. Therefore, as a supplement to being poorly paid and overburdened, numerous domestic workers continue to be socially as well as legally vulnerable. Domestic work, primarily performed by women, has been taking place behind closed doors, nearly invisible to the external world. Mainly, domestic workers are coming from rural areas. There has been a substantial increase in the number of migrant domestic workers in recent times in the informal sector of urban areas. Domestic service is currently acknowledged as a vital type of livelihood. The reason for the migration of the rural population to urban areas is poverty, drought, and rural unemployment. These migrant domestic workers don't have any law to protect their rights, have no health coverage, and don't have a pension. Migrant domestic workers vary from full-time to part-time workers, experienced and inexperienced workers. The problems like no official contracts guaranteeing the employer and employee connection, the absence of organisation, inadequate negotiating power, lack of judicial protection, and insufficient welfare procedures without the requirement for the weekly holidays, maternity holidays and health insurance should be addressed, while at the same time they are susceptible to abuse, frequently receiving insufficient protection from labour law. The present study addresses the manner in which the conditions faced by migrant domestic workers and their nature of work, challenges, constraints, and living and working conditions in the Thiruvallur district.