Deadly Work or Decent Work: Sad story of Ghanaian domestic workers abroad

One of the major international labour issues Ghana and other African countries are battling with is the many reported cases of abuse of domestic migrant workers in the Middle East and Gulf countries.

Some returnees have recounted horrifying stories of how their employers sometimes subjected them to inhumane treatments after confiscating their passports so that they will not leave.

The common excuse they give is that they have bought them from their agents, who are often Africans as well.

Naa (not her real name) narrated how she was made to sleep in the kitchen and made to work from 3 a.m. to 12 midnight on a daily basis. She sometimes survived on a few slices of bread for the whole day.

Margaret Annor, another returnee, also told the story of how her employer’s husband molested her almost on a daily basis and threatened to kill her if she reported to anyone outside the home.

She said: “What hurt me most was that his wife was away and always referred to me as a slave and so I had to succumb to their orders regardless. I was helpless because they had seized my passport,” she narrated.

Others told of how they were made to satisfy the sexual demands of their employers and animals, went for days without food and beaten, among other abuses. These are but a few of the ordeals Ghanaian and African migrants looking for domestic work go through in their search for greener pastures.

Such stories have been highlighted by a number of migration studies conducted by institutions such as the International Migration Organisation (IOM) and the School of Migration Studies of the University of Ghana, Legon, the media and civil society organisations (CSOs).

Ratify ILO CI189
To prevent such harrowing stories, stakeholders are calling for the ratification of international protocols that bar such inhuman practices and treatments meted out to migrants. One of such migration advocates, Princess Asie Ocansey, who has been working towards the well-being of domestic migrant workers and other stakeholders since 2012, has called on the government to ratify the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO’s) Convention 189 and 190 to facilitate the protection of migrant workers.

The Convention 189 advocates a set of standards regarding the recruitment and placement of domestic workers, both internally and internationally. Among the rights that the convention seeks to protect are rights to a written contract, days off, a decent working environment, regularly paid wages, rights to join labour unions and non-discriminatory practices.

Ghana has not yet ratified both conventions but lobbying by CSOs and organised labour are underway to expedite the ratification process.

In a recent pre-launch webinar on her new book titled "Deadly Work or Decent Work?”, Princess Asie Ocansey, said Ghanaian and other African domestic migrant workers in Gulf countries deserved to be treated with dignity regardless of any circumstance.

Some international migration advocates and influential figures also made presentations during the webinar. She said considering the current situation of maltreatment and abuse meted out to the domestic African workers, it had become more critical than ever for governments, particularly, the Ghanaian government, to ratify the ILO Convention.

Princess Asie Ocansey, who is also a member of the African Union (AU) Labour Migration Advisory Committee and Founder of the Nekotech Centre for Labour Migration Diplomacy, stated: “We invite all stakeholders and media houses to heavily support the promotion of C189 and cause President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of Ghana to ratify C189 before elections this year.”

The book also has a subtitle: ‘SOS! Africa-Middle East Domestic Workers Migration Process’. She said it was an urgent call to action for all African leaders to address the increasingly deadly work experience for African domestic women workers in the Middle East to make a shift to decent work. “The book is a go-to guide that demystifies the good, the bad and the deadly migrant hiring systems in the Middle-East,” Princess Asie Ocansey said.

Highlights
It advocates the creation of a dedicated multilateral platform, known as the SOS! Africa-Middle East Domestic Workers Migration Process, with a roadmap and 10 culturally illuminated keys for a paradigm-shift from deadly to decent work, for the benefit of the African member states, the Middle Eastern countries, as well as the migrant domestic women workers.

The book also highlights violent experiences of the most vulnerable migrant workers: women domestic workers, whose plights have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 era.

The book has a COVID-19 training manual and certification programme to ensure that all African domestic women workers were certified and sensitised to soft and hard skills before going to work in the Middle East on decent work systems.

"This is a call from God to the world to save these young women and to put a stop to this deadly practice immediately! Young African women need decent work and proper training, not deadly work," Princess Asie Ocansey said.

The Host of the USA popular radio show "Thriving Entrepreneur", Mr Steve Kidd, said: "These girls are just simply trying to provide for their families and the atrocities some of them are facing is the worst kind of indecency and something we all need to stand up for."

Honours
The event was also used to honour the efforts of Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Mr Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, for donating over $200,000 to bring back some stranded Ghanaian domestic workers in the Middle-East.

The Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Ms Abike Dabiri Erewa, was also commended for bringing back home some Nigerian women who were stranded in the Middle East.

The event was co-chaired by the Founder and President of the Worldwide Miracle Outreach, UK, Rev. Dr Lawrence Tetteh, and the Director of the Centre for Migration Studies at the University of Ghana, Professor Joseph Teye, while migration expert and member of the AU Labour Migration Committee, Ms Lucy Daxbacher, moderated.

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