On 22 May 2025, Part III, in collaboration with the Bihar Domestic Workers’ Union, organised a day-long training session in Patna titled Haq ki Pahchan, Sanjha Sangharsh aur Sangathit Hone ke Tariqe. The event brought together 42 women domestic workers, most of whom belong to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities, to collectively reflect on the challenges they face in their workplaces and daily lives, and to explore ways to address them through legal awareness and collective organising.
The Bihar Domestic Workers’ Union, established in 2011, has around 7,000–8,000 members across the state, with a core team of 11 members and 280 elected area leaders. It works to safeguard the rights of domestic workers by providing social, moral, and legal support, assisting with essential documentation like ration and Aadhaar cards, facilitating bank accounts and loans, offering safety training for girls, distributing rations to elderly members, and ensuring access to health services. Through regular meetings, it builds solidarity among members and supports them in resolving workplace and livelihood concerns.
The training began with an interactive introductory session and light activities, such as sharing favourite foods, songs, and colours, and singing the union song in a circle dance. This set a comfortable tone for the day’s discussions, where participants spoke openly about their experiences. Common challenges raised included not receiving fair wages, being forced to work below minimum wage due to poverty, sexual harassment and violence by male employers, long working hours, caste-based humiliation, physical abuse, being made to use separate toilets, false accusations of theft, difficulty in securing jobs, and the need to hide their caste to gain employment. They also spoke about the long-standing but unmet demand for a Welfare Board for Domestic Workers.
Facilitators from Part III addressed these issues by outlining the rights available to them under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act), the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and relevant labour laws. Special guest Ms. Akhtari Begum, Chairperson of the Local Complaints Committee for POSH in Patna, provided detailed guidance on what steps to take and whom to approach if they face sexual harassment at work. Participants were encouraged not to tolerate unwelcome behaviour from employers and to file complaints whenever necessary.
The session concluded with a discussion on the need for more detailed follow-up training on the SC/ST (PoA) Act and POSH Act, as well as caste and gender sensitisation with domestic workers. The facilitators also proposed meeting with the core team and area leaders of the union to discuss legal tools such as formal letters and petitions that can be used in pursuing justice.