Senate passes bill to document, protect domestic workers, employers, at 2nd reading

By Iyojo Ameh

The Senate has passed for second reading , bill seeking for documentation and protection of Domestic Workers and Employers in Nigeria .

Passage of the bill sponsored by Senator Hussaini Babangida representing Jigawa North West followed lead debate made on it by him and contributions by some other Senators .

Senator Babangida told his colleagues that the intendment of the bill which was first read on the floor of the Senate on November 21, 2023 , was to regulate the relationship between employees and employers in the informal sector .

He said over the years, there has been an increase in the incidents of assaults and abuse of domestic workers by their employers or hosts which range from slave labour, physical abuse and sexual abuse among others.

He added that on the other side of the coin, is the rise in the state of complicity of crimes committed by domestic workers mostly in connivance with other criminal elements in the society against their employers or host which according to him , range from burglary , to kidnapping , stealing of children and sometimes , outright murder .

The bill , he explained further , does not only seek to protect the domestic workers but also protect employers of domestic workers .

According to him, in the light of composite security challenges we face today , as a Nation , it is therefore imperative and critical for the National Assembly , to urgently assist the law enforcement agencies with potent law the legislation seeks to put in place .