DCW writes to Labour Commission to better regulate placement

The DCW has issued notice to the Labour Commission seeking to know the total number of placement agencies registered as on December 1, how many of them are licensed ones in order to draft Bill for regulating their operations in the capital.
"The regulation of placement agencies is extremely crucial as many cases are coming to light wherein it is found that many placement agencies are running trafficking nexus in the capital," DCW chief Swati Maliwal said in the notice.
She has asked the Commission to provide the information by January 7, 2017.
Maliwal referred to a case of a domestic worker who was trafficked from West Bengal by a placement agency and allegedly exploited over the past two years and is now battling for her life in a hospital.

"The Commission has observed several instances wherein domestic workers trafficked by placement agencies are tortured and exploited. The Commission is deeply concerned about their well-being and wishes to ascertain the future course of action of the Labour Department to prevent the atrocities on the domestic workers by placement agencies," Maliwal said.
Last year, she said, the Commission was informed there are around 1,400 placement agencies in Delhi out of which only one was licensed.
The Labour Department had then assured the Commission that all placement agencies shall be licensed.