Domestic Workers: Municipalities Can Employ us to Care for the Sick and Elderly

* Photo: From the documentary "Wounded Pride / Gurur Yarası"

Click to read the article in Turkish

"The problems of us, domestic workers, were normally not visible, either. We are now totally invisible. We want to be seen now. I am calling out to the NGOs, unions, confederations and the state, I am calling out to everyone: Support us. Everyone is uttering fancy words in this period, but where are they? Our friends are having a real hard time..."

"We are in contact with at least 150 women who work as as cleaning workers in houses in Antalya. Some of our friends say, 'There is nothing left to do. My children are hungry'."

The first sentence is uttered by Gülhan Benli from the Domestic Workers Solidarity Union (Evid-Sen) in İstanbul.

The second sentence is from Antalya, it is uttered by Münire İnal from the İmece (Collective Work) Domestic Workers Union.

Two different cities, two different unions... But the question is the same: "Who will solve the problems of women who can no longer work as domestic workers during the coronavirus pandemic?"

'Our problems cannot be solved with food packets'

* Photo: Evid-Sen Archive

Gülhan Benli says that they are in contact with at least five thousand domestic workers in Turkey and adds the following:

"Our friends cannot work now. Yesterday, one of them called me. She had a problem with her husband at home and went to his father's place. Both her husband and father kicked her out of the home.

"As the woman does not bring in money any longer, neither of the men wants her at home. Actually, it summarizes the situation.

"They are going through a really hard time. 'I don't know what to do with two kids,' she says. And I cannot know how to find a solution. Because economic power is necessary to solve all these.

"The biggest problem is not to work, or rather, to be unable to work. Our friends will have a meeting with Ankara Municipality in the upcoming days. In İstanbul, the Metropolitan Municipality contacted us first, we gave them a list. I hope that something will come out of it. Şişli Municipality also got in touch with us and wanted a list of our friends in need. It is not a problem that can be solved by giving food packets from time to time.

"We want a more permanent solution. For instance, municipalities offer care and cleaning support to the people aged over 65. Our friends can do this. Municipalities can get in contact with us for this.

"Everyone should shoulder the responsibility in this period. Municipalities, the state, unions, non-governmental organizations... We want everyone to shoulder the responsibility. Why do they ignore us? It is not only the state, there are so many people who ignore us. Feminists, women's organizations... They don't see the problems of women like us.

"While we can raise so much noise with our limited means, won't our voice be heard much louder if we get the support of other women?"

İnal: We cannot benefit from the aid

* İnal's photo from "Wounded Pride" documentary

Münire İnal from the İmece Domestic Workers Union says that all of the women working as domestic workers in Antalya are without a job now.

"We don't know what to do or turn to whom for support, we are at a loss. I partly have a pension. But my friends are in a really bad situation," İnal adds and continues as follows:

"In this period, we, women, are left alone. Everyone is occupied with their own problems. They have forgotten the laborers that they made to clean their homes in their good days. We cannot do anything.

"We cannot benefit from the unemployment pay or any other allowance provided by the state, either. As most of us work informally, such a right is not given to us. 

"I am calling out to the whole public: Hear the voice of cleaning workers. At least the municipalities can support women in this process." (EMK/SD)