National Policy Dialogue – Rights of Domestic Workers

In a follow-up from our study on Ethiopia’s Informal Sector, FES Ethiopia in cooperation with ILO Ethiopia and UN OHCHR organized a National Policy Dialogue on Inclusive Promotion and Protection of Rights of Domestic Workers from 13 – 17 November 2023.

In Ethiopia among workers in the informal economy, domestic workers are predominantly comprised of women. The country has yet to ratify the ILO Convention No. 189 concerning Decent Work for Domestic Workers. During the dialogue domestic representatives shared how there is a lack of adequate legislative framework that ensures the protection of their labour rights, including working conditions, occupation of safety and health, fair wages, and accessible complaint mechanisms. The last couple of years the COVID-19 pandemic, the escalating cost of living, and internal political conflicts, which have heightened sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), have added challenges to their lives.