Carlos Lowry/Flickr. Creative Commons.
Our homes are our sanctuaries. Where we return after a day’s work, to eat and rest. Where we feel most safe. But for so many, our homes are places that present risk.
For domestic workers – the nannies, cleaners and caregivers who do the work that makes all other work possible – our homes are their workplaces. Behind the closed doors of homes in our neighbourhoods are where this invisible workforce – consisting mostly of immigrant women – spend their days nurturing our children, cleaning our kitchens and caring for our grandparents and loved ones with disabilities. There are 100 million domestic workers, hidden from view by the outside world, excluded from many labour laws that protect other workers, and vulnerable in the shadows of the economy.
