5 April 2021, Hyderabad
To
The Secretary & CEO
Telangana State Human Rights Commission
Hyderabad 500001
Dear Secretary & CEO, TSHRC,
Subject: Counter to MAUD LTR NO. 3654/GENERAL/2020 DT 09.02.2021(enclosed) – MAUD SECRETARY ADDRESSES ‘DOMESTIC WORKERS’ AS ‘domestic aid, domestic help, house help, maid’ IN TWO NOTIFICATIONS Memo No. 3654/General/2020 Dated: 06-05-2020 and 3654/General/2020 dated 18 may 2020
References:
1. SHRC CASE NO. 1417/2020 LAST HEARING ON 22 MAR 2021, NEXT HEARING SCHEDULED TO 1 JUNE 2021;
2. 5 June 2020 representation to TSHRC
3. Our Public information releases of 22 Jan 2021 and 10 Feb 2021 that were copied to MAUD department
Further to our previous notices and press releases Mr Principal Secretary, IAS, MAUD, Its DOMESTIC WORKERS, NOT ‘MAIDS’ or ‘HELPS’, we have the following to state:
1. Principal Secretary to government, MAUD, government of Telangana has filed reply on 11 Feb 2021 in the SHRC case no. 1417/2020 and defends that memos cited were issued for ‘keeping safety and wellbeing of ‘domestic workers”. Reply in original below:
2. We reiterate that our notice to MAUD secretary did not question the intention of MAUD secretary. Rather, the MAUD secretary had addressed domestic workers as ‘domestic aid, domestic help, house help, maid’ in both the memos in spite of representing to him that he should refrain from such unprofessional and illegal terminology and address in notification as ‘domestic workers’ only.
3. Hence, the defence of MAUD is baseless. MAUD secretary would do well to issue an apology and re-issue the two memos with due reference to domestic workers or issue a new memo nullifying the words ‘domestic help, house help, maids’ used in Memo No. 3654/General/2020 Dated: 06-05-2020 and 3654/General/2020 dated 18 may 2020 duly conveying that they are replaced and to be read as ‘domestic workers’.
4. Request TSHRC Secretary garu to please take this reply on record.
5. Respondent is also copied herein as per email ids given on telangana.gov.in. We trust MAUD, Government of Telangana, will conduct themselves in a most responsible manner and take cognizance of precious time of TSHRC and thus, issue the rectification memo promptly, as suggested above at para 3, thus saving valuable time and energy of TSHRC. This step from MAUD would send positive message to lacs of domestic workers in Telangana.
Best,
Petitioner in 1417/2020
Dr Lubna Sarwath
General Secretary, Socialist Party (India), Hyderabad
