2ND REGIONAL CONSULTATION
ON CHILD DOMESTIC WORK IN ASIA

DRAFT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
26-28 July 2002
Tiara Oriental Hotel, Makati City, Philippines

Organizers: Visayan Forum Foundation, Inc. and Child Workers in Asia

Participating Countries:
Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam

Child domestic work is an issue because:

• Child domestic workers are large in numbers, yet remain invisible and marginalized both economically and socially because of the myths still surrounding their employment.
• They comprise a large percentage of the domestic workers' sector.
• Most are girls suffering discrimination at work, and in society as a whole.
• Most are working in conditions that can be considered among the worst forms of child labor.
• They are totally under the control of employers whose primary concern may not be in their best interests as children.
• Many children are trafficked into domestic work, which can also lead them into other worst forms of child labor.

Due to our diverse capacities, we have unique experiences in tackling the issue at the grassroots. These experiences represent an invaluable contribution to making child domestic workers visible. However, national statistics establishing the size and exact nature of the problem are also important in convincing major influencers such as law and policy-makers.
We continue to face the following realities. We have resolved to address these needs. We shall thus respond to these challenges:

• Many countries fail to recognize and include child domestic workers in their policies. The fact that the government's mandates and programs do not address the needs of child domestic workers limits our efforts. But this situation presents opportunities for constructive engagement, specifically through our participation in crafting government policies, and enlisting support from other stakeholders such as employers, parents, government agencies, and some NGOs, that can ensure sustainable intervention for child domestic workers.
• Child domestic workers may still be peripheral targets for many existing direct programs. But it is possible and important for more NGOs to develop programs focusing on child domestic workers. The Task Force can help build the capacity of its members to deal with the issue in its complexity, and ensure that its program is accessible to child domestic workers.
• The CDW issue is closely interlinked with the issue of trafficking and migration, yet there are very few efforts that directly address this connection. Participants from the Mekong Region, where trafficking and migration cross borders, plan to increase their efforts in advocacy and direct service delivery precisely to underscore and tackle this relationship. Trafficking is pervasive within countries as well. Some institutions involved in the CDW issue have learned that it is possible to interfere with the common process by which children enter domestic work, and thus actually prevent them from entering abusive conditions.
• Improving employee-employer relationship is a core strategy of any program for child domestic workers. Standards are crucial to end employers' arbitrary treatment of their child domestic workers. These standards can help convince employers to reflect on their existing cultural values and beliefs, and provide them with concrete guidelines for alternative behavior. Employers need to be convinced that they would benefit from changing the way they treat their domestic worker. While this in itself is possible, accessing employers themselves will be the big challenge, requiring various creative approaches.
• It is essential that we involve many stakeholders, because the CDW issue must not be tackled in isolation from other issues such as domestic work in general, gender, trafficking, and other related concerns. Our networking is vital because it influences policy reforms at the national, regional, and international level.
• Most child domestic workers need to be empowered to fight for their own rights and to be decently treated, in order to break their invisibility and marginalization.

As we end this 3-day consultation, we move forward with a common agenda. At this juncture, we have agreed to prioritize the following efforts:

1. Research to strengthen our actions, as well as to develop and reinforce policies that protect, prevent, remove (from hazardous situations) and re-integrate CDWS.
2. Document and share knowledge and experience among ourselves and with others.
3. Strengthen our advocacy towards developing and enforcing standards (including new laws), working with employers, education, and ensuring child participation.
4. Build the capacities of existing and new Task Force - Child Domestic Work members, including child domestic workers and their associations.
5. Develop its network to build strong alliances in order to influence institutions at the national, regional and international levels.
6. Generate attention and action towards attacking the connection between child domestic work, domestic work in general, and trafficking.

Task Force on Child Domestic Workers in Asia

Convenor: Visayan Forum Foundation, Inc.; Committee Members: Vulnerable Children Association Organization (VCAO), Foundation for Child Development (FCD), Yayasan Pondok Rakyat Kreatif (YPRK)-Pondokan, Arunodhaya Centre for Street and Working Children, Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Center(CWIN), and Sri Lanka Interactive Media Group (SLIMG)- Colombo; Other Task Force Members: Cambodian League for Defence of Human Rights (LICADHO), National Domestic Workers' Movement, Campaign Against Child Labor, Kompak-Indonesia, KKSP Foundation Education and Information Center for Child Rights, Social Welfare Department (Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare)- Lao PDR, Children-Women in Social Service and Human Rights (CWISH), Migrant Assistance Programme (MAP), and Ho Chi Minh City Child Welfare Foundation (HCWF).

• Executive Summary of 2nd Regional Consultation in Manila
• List and contact details of TF members
• Summary of national efforts in Asia
• The Regional Exchange Programme
• Abstract of the Legislative Advocacy Seminar in Manila