By Mariama Marong
Dr. Fatima Diallo, the executive director of the Centre for Research and Action for Development and Human Rights (CRADESC), said 85.9 per cent of domestic workers in The Gambia work without written employment contracts; thus exposing them to legal insecurity and exploitation. Dr. Diallo made this and other remarks during the National Consultative workshop on the ratification of ILO’s Domestic Workers Convention 2011 (No. 189), organized by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment. During the opening ceremony of the workshop on domestic workers’ rights, Dr. Diallo said the situation highlighted the urgent need to strengthen legal protection for domestic workers, and to improve their working conditions in the country. She said during the course of the Strategic Support Project for Domestic Workers (PASTDOM), it was also found that 75.7 per cent of domestic workers have no social security coverage, while 96 per cent received no medical assistance from their employers when they fall ill. She said 96.6 per cent of domestic workers in The Gambia are not affiliated to any trade union and 50.6 per cent of them have experienced abuse or gender-based violence, while 26.1 per cent said they were once dismissed following pregnancy. Dr. Diallo further highlighted the precarious conditions domestic workers face, with many working without formal employment arrangements, adequate social protection or effective representation.
In her statement to participants at the workshop, Dr. Diallo emphasised the importance of recognising domestic work as a vital part of a country’s economy.
“Domestic work is not merely an informal activity. It is the heart beat of the ‘care’ economy. It upholds dignity within our homes and supports the productivity of our entire society. Recognising and valuing domestic work is a fundamental requirement of social justice,” she said. She noted that domestic work remains largely invisible across West Africa despite its significant contribution to households and national economies.
“The domestic work sector employs approximately 1,119,000 people across West Africa, with 77.3 per cent of them women. The sector represents 7.5 per cent of female wage employment, while its informality rate stands at 97.9 per cent,” She said. Dr. Diallo also raised concerns about young girls, some between the ages of 12 and 15, who are already working in households that are not their own, and often without adequate protection or recognition. She called for The Gambia to ratify the International Labour Organization’s Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189), which seeks to strengthen protection and improve working conditions for domestic workers.
The PASTDOM project which is being implemented by CRADESC in partnership with the Foundation for a ‘Just Society’, covers the nine West African countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal and Togo. Dr. Diallo said the project has improved progressively with legislative contributions in the region which includes the ratification of Convention No. 189 in Côte d’Ivoire; salary increase for domestic workers in Senegal, and a draft Ministerial order under consideration in Togo. In The Gambia, She said the project focuses on research and technical support for legislative reforms to improve domestic workers’ protection.
Dr. Diallo referred to concerns raised during a June 2026 dialogue between Gambian authorities and the United Nations Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. She said the committee highlighted the lack of formal contracts among migrant domestic workers employed in The Gambia, as well as the serious violations affecting Gambian domestic workers abroad such as unpaid wages, passport confiscation, contract substitution and exploitative conditions associated with the Kafala system.
Although The Gambia adopted the 2023 Labour Act which includes domestic work within its scope, Dr. Diallo argued that ratifying ILO’s Domestic Workers Convention 2011 (No. 189), would help to address implementation gaps, strengthen accountability and ensure that workers’ rights are effectively protected. She expressed the hope that the consultation workshop will produce a national assessment of legal and practical gaps; a roadmap outlining priority reforms and timelines for submission to Parliament, and a Banjul Declaration affirming a collective commitment to the ratification of the ILO’s Domestic Workers Convention 2011 (No. 189).