A History Of Prejudice: Sexual Harassment & Abuse Of Domestic Workers During Covid-19

The COVID-19 has affected a wide range of people, but the risk and consequences of contracting the virus have not been evenly known: workers in the informal economy have been disproportionally affected. Economic support and protective equipment provided by governments and employers to formal economy workers have not consistently reached those in the informal economy. Many had to (attempt to) continue to work in unsafe conditions. Evictions, police brutality and confiscation against informal traders and market vendors.

The pandemic has had a gendered impact on women in informal employment, particularly due to their significant representation in care and domestic work. COVID-19 also exacerbated sexual and gender-based violence against women migrant workers’ in irregular situations. The perpetrators who are aware of this group is unlikely to report the violence, due to their specific experiences of discrimination and fear of arrest or deportation.