The president of the Association for the Defense of the Rights of Domestic and Household Workers of Côte d’Ivoire (ADDAD Côte d’Ivoire) speaks proudly of the ratification of Convention No. 189 on domestic workers by the President of the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire (decree no. 2025-128) on February 26, 2025. Awa COULIBALY deduces that this is the result of a long struggle carried out by ADDAD Côte d’Ivoire and its partners to enhance the value of domestic work and restore the dignity of these workers.
The announcement of the ratification of Convention No. 189 on domestic workers by the government of Côte d’Ivoire has instilled a sense of satisfaction within the Association for the Defense of the Rights of Domestic Workers in Côte d’Ivoire. This country and the Republic of Guinea are among the few Francophone West African countries to have ratified this convention of the International Labour Organization (ILO) which calls on its members to take, among other things, measures to ensure the promotion and effective protection of the human rights of all domestic workers as provided in the convention.
Awa COULIBALY’s smile after the ratification of Convention No. 189 concerning decent work for domestic workers.
Proudly carrying the voice of domestic workers on her shoulder, Awa did not mince words in expressing her joy. “It is a joy for me as an advocate for the rights of domestic workers and representative of the Association for the Defense of the Rights of Domestic Workers in Côte d’Ivoire (ADDAD Côte d’Ivoire)… a satisfaction, a moral recognition,” exclaims this activist who has been committed since 2018 to enhancing the value of domestic work and respecting the rights of domestic workers.
At 1.70cm tall, Awa is one of those who had the courage to talk about the social and financial mistreatment of TDs and to provoke the debate on the difficulties – dropping out of school, forced marriage, excision – that force some of them to find themselves domestic servants and which, unfortunately, expose them to exploitation. The activist believes that this situation is simply a violation of women’s rights and thanks the authorities: “The TDs are happy and say thank you to the Ivorian State for having had a look at what they were going through and which was really silent.”
ADDAD Côte d’Ivoire does not intend to rest on its laurels, our interlocutor tells us. The association will undertake large-scale actions across the country so that every domestic worker and every employer is informed about the existence of this law and, above all, so that everyone understands that domestic work is a legitimate job, a decent job as recognized by the Ivorian State through the ratification of C189.
Violated rights and several cases of violence uncovered.
Témoin de la précarité dans laquelle vivent les travailleuses domestiques, la jeune dame regrette de constater que ces domestiques voulant sortir de la précarité par le travail se retrouvent dans des situations encore plus précaires. « Elles sont logées dans des situations inhumaines ou alors elles logent dans des marchés et travaillent dans des ménages où le traitement n’est pas du tout adéquat».
Indeed, in Côte d’Ivoire, as in many other countries, the rights of domestic workers are being violated. Within the framework of the Strategic Support Project for Domestic Workers (PASTDOM) covering Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, and Togo, CRADESC has documented several violations of their rights.
The majority of domestic workers earn salaries below the legal minimum (less than 27,200 FCFA/month), do not benefit from paid leave, do not have a properly written employment contract, and are not registered with social security. Up to 67.5% of domestic workers exceed the legal limit of 8 hours of work per day. Research conducted by the DESC and Gender program also reveals several cases of verbal violence affecting about 50 to 90% of domestic workers, particularly minors (89.29%).
The representative of ADDAD Côte d’Ivoire acknowledges that this research has allowed the association to have studies. “We did not have any numerical data on domestic workers and we were impressed by the results of the CRADESC study.” ADDAD Côte d’Ivoire has shared this data with NGOs and even Master’s students who use it for their work. Report on Violations of the Rights of Domestic Workers in West Africa: Regional Case.
