HOME’s International Domestic Workers’ Day 2026 Statement

This 16 June marks the 15th anniversary of International Domestic Workers’ Day. On this day in 2011, the International Labour Organization (ILO) adopted the Domestic Workers Convention (C189), establishing a global recognition that domestic work is work, and that domestic workers are entitled to fundamental labour protections.

Despite Singapore’s dependence on more than 300,000 migrant domestic workers (MDWs) for our household and caregiving needs, Singapore has yet to ratify the Convention. Migrant domestic workers remain excluded from many of the labour rights and protections afforded to other workers.

At HOME, International Domestic Workers’ Day is an opportunity to celebrate the individuals who play a pivotal role in caring for our children and our elderly, maintaining our households, and enabling families in Singapore to work and live with greater ease. The care that happens inside homes is what allows much of Singapore to function outside them.

But gratitude is not enough. Appreciation must be matched by robust labour and social protections, written into law, policy and practice. 

HOME calls on Singapore to ratify the ILO Convention No. 189 and to strengthen protections for MDWs in line with its principles. In particular, we reiterate the following recommendations:

1. Guarantee weekly, 24-hour rest days

A 24-hour weekly rest day is essential for physical recovery, mental wellbeing, social connection and access to help. HOME’s research and casework experience show that workers who are denied meaningful rest are often more isolated, have poorer physical and mental health, and are less able to seek support when they face abuse or exploitation.

2. Include MDWs in the Employment Act

Migrant domestic workers should be protected by clear limits on working hours and access to overtime pay, annual leave, rest day pay and other basic employment standards. HOME regularly supports workers who experience excessive working hours, often because working hours and responsibilities are not clearly defined.

3. Ensure the right to change employers with clear notice periods

MDWs should be able to leave abusive or exploitative employment without being trapped by the need for employer consent or the threat of sudden repatriation. HOME has seen many cases where migrant workers endure poor conditions because they fear losing their jobs and legal status, or the chance to recover debts they have incurred to move to Singapore for work.

4. Include MDWs in the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA)

Domestic workers are currently covered under Personal Accident Insurance paid for by the employer.  MDWs should have access to WICA compensation as it provides for a higher degree of compensation, medical wages while on medical leave, and coverage of medical expenses resulting from work injuries.

5. Create live-out options for migrant domestic workers

Live-out arrangements can help reduce isolation, protect rest time and create clearer boundaries between work and personal life. Many of the cases HOME sees involve excessive control within the household, including restrictions on movement, phone use and privacy. Live-out options would help recognise domestic workers as workers with lives beyond their workplace.

6. Respect migrant domestic workers’ freedom of association

MDWs should have the right to organise, participate in community life, and collectively advocate for better working conditions. HOME’s work with MDW communities shows how peer support and community networks help workers access information and seek help early. 

Fifteen years after the adoption of C189, the call remains urgent: domestic work must be recognised as work, and migrant domestic workers must be treated with the dignity, rights and protections they deserve.

We urge the Singapore Government to ratify the Domestic Workers Convention  and take concrete steps towards securing the basic rights of migrant domestic workers in Singapore.

To all our MDW friends: Happy International Domestic Workers’ Day. Your work sustains our homes, families and communities. Your rights must be protected.

Published 12 June 2026