Underpaid, vulnerable & often abused, domestic helps need a helping hand

Today is International Domestic Workers' Day. The sector remains unregulated, but a clutch of start-ups is trying to change that

In early February, Anita Shyam (name changed) was admitted to a hospital in Gurugram, Haryana, with face injuries, cuts and burn scars all over her body. The minor, a domestic worker from Jharkhand, was allegedly tortured by her employers, a young couple. The woman worked with a leading public relations firm and her husband with an insurance company.

Police investigation found that Shyam, 17, was hired through an unregistered Delhi-based private agency on a deposit of Rs 30,000. Her salary was to be Rs 10,000 a month, but she hadn’t been paid a rupee in the five months she had