T»We~# 23-: Psychological and Physical Abuse of Domestic Servants

Nature of Abuse Frc( uency of Abuse (%)

Never Occasionally Regularly
Anger and Tongue-lashing 08 22 70
Name calling 12 55 33
Physical assault / Beating 48 44 08
Restrictions and/or Intervention in personal matters 33 42 25
Compulsion to work,in the houses of friends/relatives 18 26 56
Threats of expulsion from servant quarter (live-in maids) 09 04 17
Source: Survey Data
The study reveals that domestic servants are often subject to physical and psychological abuse from their
employers. From anger to physical torture and from name calling to threats of expulsion from
service/home, domestic savants mentioned variety of abuses from their employers. Most of the domestic
servants (70%) revealed that their employers were regularly become aggressive and angry on them. 55%
maids reported that their employers occasionally taunt them by calling names and using abusive/
derogatory terms while 33% servants were regularly faced with this psychological mistreatment. Physical
violence at the hands of their employers never happened with 48%, but a significant number of servants
(44%) reported occasional physical torture and 8% women reported that they are.regularly beaten up by
their employers. Another from of maltreatment with domestic servants is undue restrictions/ interventions
by the employers in the personal life matters of the servants. Although 33% denied this, 42% acknowledge
occasional and 25% servants acknowledge regular restriction/intervention in their personal matters. A
significant number of maid servants, i.e. 56% also disclosed that their employers often compel them to
work in the houses of their friends/relatives/neighbors in addition to their own houses.
Thinner about the behavior of the female employer, a maid in Hayatabad told; "When

Table-* 24:
The Most Frequent Abuser of Domestic Servants
Specification of the Abuser Frequency of Abuse (%)
Never Occasionally Regularly
The Naik (male head of the household) 33 44 23

The Naika (female head of the household) 08 32 60

CO

The Sons of the Naik / Naika 14 , 05

The Daughters of the Naik / Naika 22 30 48

The Relatives of the family 65 30 05

Other Servants of the family 65 25 10

Source: Survey Data n=100

As stated previously, the study shows that women domestic servants are often subject to ill-treatment at the
hands of people whom they serve. The female head of the employing household, the naika, as they call her,
is the most frequent abuser of these poor women. 32% maids receive maltreatment occasionally and 60%
domestics are maltreated on regular basis from the naika, leaving only 8% maids who never faced abuse
from their naika. The daughter(s) of the naika, like their mother(s), were also harsh on domestic's servants.
30% domestics reported maltreated by the hands of the daughter(s) occasionally and 48% reported that they
are repeatedly mistreated by the daughter(s) of their employers. The son(s) of the
employer turned out to be comparatively 'innocent' as only 14% domestics reported occasional and only 5%
domestic servants faced regular misuse from the son(s) of their employer.
Responding to the question of who tease her more, Zarjana promptly said with punchy teeth; "The
'Naika'. ...the naik is often a kind person, but the naikas are never good"179. Thinking deeply for a while,
Zaitoon Banoo who works in the house of a lady working in some^"^'1 NGO, spoke out; "The dog of the
naika is to be fed properly; even if my own children are dying of hunger ...her dog is more important than
my son"m. A 17 years old maid working in the JHfeya+abaxl said; "I am working like a donkey from dawn
to dust but the naika and her daughter
>t 181
say that I am 'kamchor' (lazy) " .

Table # 25:
Sexual Harassment of Maids by Employers
Ever Faced Specification of IJ arasser
Sexual Harassment % . The His Mis Relatives/fie Coworke
from Employers employer sons colleagues lids rs
Yes 35 18 16 07 06 05
No 65 ■ - - - -
Total 100 51.4% 45.7% 20% 17.1% 14.3%
Source: Survey Data
n=100
t&toA<g& -pke^ghf it is difficult to know in entirety the extent and magnitude of sexual harassment and
assault against women domestic servants, the findings of this study points out that maid servants are subject
to sexual harassment by their employer and/or their friends/relatives. According to the data, 35% of the
maids acknowledged that they have faced some sort of sexual abuse from their employers while 65% maids
denied the occurrence of such abuse. Among those who acknowledged sexual abuses, majority accused
their male employers (51.4%), followed by the son(s) of the employers (45.7%), employers' colleagues
(20%), friend and relatives (17.1 %) and other male servants (14.3%).
It is pertinent to note here that these are only those cases which were disclosed by the maids themselves. Jn
reality, the extent of actual abuse may be much higher. Often these women endure sexual harassment and
keep silent because of the treats of loss of the job, embarrassment and the associated shame and, in case of
residential/live-in maids, the fear of expulsion for the servant quarter. Talking about her experience of
sexual harassment, a 27 years old women currently working in a house in the campus disclosed; "Once my
previous naik pulled my dupata (blanket) with bad intention and the naika saw him. The naika became
angry and she let me out of the service and the servant quarter"'82. Another maid in Hayatabad
A\s^os&A^fJ^reyiously I was working in R^ata/mcf. There the son of the naik tried to persuade me (for
sex). I complained lo the naik and, instead of correcting his son, he ordered me to leave the house"m. Like
the maids, their relatives are also unsafe form the sexual harassment. As a
maid servant recounted; "Once he (employer) touched [with bad intention] my sister-in-law who was here
with me for a few days"1 . There were numerous other cases in which maids were sexually harassed by male
members, servants, relatives and even guests of the employing family. Due to certain reasons, it is very
much likely that most of such incidents go unreported.

Table #28-: Education of the Domestic Servants' Children

Are your school-going-age children Reasons for not attending school
attending school? % Children are Can not afford Children are Other
 taking no interest cost of education working reasons
I have no Children 34 - - - -
They are attending school 36 - - - -'
They are not attending school 30 06 12 10 02
Total 100 20% 40% : 33% 6.7%
Source: Survey Data
The study shows that the children of the maid servants often remain out-of-school because of their meager
income. Apart from the 34% maids who were not having children of school-going-age, the children of 36%
women were going to schools while 30% women domestics reported that their children were not attending
school. When asked about the reasons, majority of them (40%) reported they were unable to afford the
educational cost of their children; another 33% stated that their children were working and unable to attend
school. 20% domestic servants told that their children were not taking interest in school.
It is concluded that the meager income of the domestic servants compel many of them to put their children
into paid jobs to support their family instead of sending them to school. The sense of inferiority among the
children of domestic servants may be one of the reasons why they are not taking interest in school. As
mentioned elsewhere, in many cases the children of women domestics join the profession of their mother
and become domestics or work in other low-paid jobs for supplementing their family income. When asked
why her children were not attending school, Shamshad said; "We are poor and I know that even if I send
my children to school, they can not become doctors or engineers... it is better for them to. earn some money
and share my burden" . Another maid, who was the mother of three children, expressed; "I
v .. - ......---------- —- ----------
wish my children should study in the same school where the children of my Naika are admitted. I want to
educate my children at least up to a few grads...the rest I don't know...luck will decide their future "18K.
When asked why she has allowed her little daughter to work as maid, Tahira replied; "I know this is not a
worthy job to do and I don't want to put my daughter in tftis job, but the naika says she has to work with
them"m. Thus it is clear that their poor economic condition were not letting most of the maids to educate
their children.