Description
The project shall advocate for better conditions regarding domestic work and for a greater respect for the rights of domestic workers. Specifically, it aims at promoting the human dignity, solidarity and equality of domestic workers; defending the fundamental rights of domestic workers such as the right to personal development and to start a family; changing the Portuguese Law-Decree 235/92 in accordance with Convention 189 of the International Labour Organization and Portuguese constitutional principles; and creating a guide for the protection of domestic workers " Decent Domestic Work Guide". The target groups are foreign migrant workers, people at risk of poverty and domestic workers in general working in Portugal.
Summary of project results
This project successfully lobbied for the approval of new national legislation on domestic workers’ rights, which is in accordance with the international standards and with the Portuguese constitutional principles. This is an important human rights matter, as domestic work in Portugal often stays outside the official economy and is overwhelmingly performed by women, often immigrants, and not uncommonly, victims of harassment, discrimination, xenophobia and even human trafficking. Besides this, the project also included an awareness-raising component, in which a domestic workers’ guide was created and distributed, and several awareness-raising activities on domestic workers’ rights were carried out, which included information sessions. Public meetings were also held, and a specific blog was created on the subject. At the end of the project, around 500 direct beneficiaries were estimated.
Summary of bilateral results