Recently change has come through about the adoption of the International Labour Organisation's domestic worker convention which requires member states to extend basic labour rights, such as minimum wages and annual paid leave, to domestic workers.
This environment breeds a sense of instability perpetuated by agencies that act as employers but refuse to take responsibility for basic labour rights, such as timely payment, health insurance and protection from sexually abusive clients.
Some is in the shape of interest-free loans, while the denial of basic labour rights, such as joining a union, drives down pay and costs.
Despite promises of reform, the Kuwaiti government has not yet passed a law to protect domestic workers, who are not given the basic labour rights provided to other workers under national law.
When domestic workers are so systematically denied the basic labour rights afforded to other workers, employers cannot be held accountable for the mistreatment of those working in their households.
Yet, though critical to the functioning of national economies, 90% of domestic workers – around 47 million – do not have the same basic labour rights as workers in other sectors.
Dr Noorashikin Abdul Rahman of Singapore-based Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), said: "Otherwise, there will be quite a significant population of domestic workers who will have to wait for a considerable amount of time before they have access to this basic labour right.
The basic rights set forth in the revised charter concern housing; health; education, labour rights, employment, and parental leave; protection from poverty and social exclusion; free movement of persons and nondiscrimination; migrant worker rights; and nondiscrimination of persons with disabilities.
Globalisation itself has exacerbated a host of worries: over the environment, labour rights, human rights, consumer rights and so on.
Its deregulatory philosophy plays down environmental standards and labour rights.
