Dignity at Home: Rights, Respect and Menstrual Awareness for Domestic Workers in Pakistan

By Asma Rahmat, Final Year Law Student, SLC, Superior University and Muhammad Ameer Hamza, Final Year Law Student, SLC, Superior University

Every morning, while many households are beginning their day, thousands of women across Pakistan are already at work. They sweep floors, wash dishes, prepare meals, care for children, wash clothes and perform the countless tasks that keep homes functioning. Their labour is essential, yet their contribution often remains unseen. They are commonly referred to as “house help”, but behind these words is a worker—a woman whose labour deserves recognition, respect, fair treatment and legal protection. For women domestic workers, the idea of dignity becomes even more important when we consider a natural and unavoidable part of their lives: “menstruation”.

Menstruation is a normal biological process, yet it is still surrounded by silence, embarrassment, and misconceptions in many communities. For a domestic worker, this silence can become a serious workplace concern. She may experience menstrual cramps, fatigue, headaches, back pain or heavy bleeding while continuing to clean, cook, wash clothes or perform physically demanding household tasks. She may not have adequate access to a private toilet, clean water, sanitary products or a suitable place to rest. In many cases, she may hesitate to discuss her needs because she depends upon her daily or monthly wages for her livelihood. A natural health condition can therefore become a question of dignity, equality and economic security.

The idea of “Dignity at Home” begins with a simple principle: the place where a person works must never determine the value of her rights. A domestic worker may work inside a private residence, but she does not leave her dignity at the doorstep. The privacy of a household cannot mean that the health and well-being of the person working there become invisible. Domestic work takes place in a private setting, but it remains work, and the person performing it remains entitled to humane and respectful working conditions.

The Constitution of Pakistan provides an important foundation for protecting this dignity. Article 14 recognizes the dignity of man and the inviolability of the privacy of the home. Article 25 guarantees equality before law and equal protection of law and prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, while permitting special provisions for the protection of women and children. Article 37(e), among the Principles of Policy, directs the State to make provision for just and humane conditions of work and for maternity benefits for women in employment. These constitutional principles provide a meaningful basis for developing policies that recognize the particular health and welfare needs of women domestic workers.

Punjab has already taken a significant step through the Punjab Domestic Workers Act, 2019. The Act recognizes domestic workers as a category requiring legal protection and establishes a framework dealing with important employment matters, including wages, working hours, leave, health and safety, maternity benefits and social protection. Its importance goes beyond the provisions written in the legislation. It represents a recognition that domestic work is genuine labour and that those who perform it should not remain outside the protection of labour law simply because their workplace is a private household.

The landmark case of Subay Khan v. Secretary, Labour, Government of the Punjab, reported as PLD 2019 Lahore 253, is particularly significant in this context. The Lahore High Court examined the position of domestic workers and emphasized the need for effective legal protection of their employment and working conditions. The judgment played an important role in the development of the Punjab Domestic Workers Act, 2019 and emphasized the need for the law to become functional and accessible to those it was designed to protect. Although the case did not specifically address menstrual health, its recognition of domestic workers as deserving legal protection provides an important foundation for considering their specific health needs.

The next step should be to bring menstrual health and hygiene into the conversation about decent work for domestic workers. Pakistan does not presently provide a specific statutory entitlement to menstrual leave for domestic workers. It would therefore be inaccurate to suggest that menstrual leave is already a guaranteed legal right. However, the existing legal framework concerning health, safety, leave, dignity and humane working conditions provides a foundation upon which specific menstrual-health measures can be developed.

Menstrual rights in the domestic-work context should begin with the recognition that a woman must be able to manage her menstrual cycle safely and privately while performing her work. She should have reasonable access to a clean toilet, water and soap. She should be able to carry and use sanitary products during working hours. Where menstrual pain or other symptoms temporarily affect her ability to perform strenuous household duties, reasonable flexibility should be considered. A short period of rest or an adjustment of particularly demanding tasks can make an enormous difference to a woman’s ability to continue working comfortably and safely.

The question of menstrual leave should also be considered carefully. A future legal framework could provide a limited form of menstrual-health leave or allow severe menstrual symptoms to be accommodated through existing health or sick leave. Another approach could be to provide flexible working arrangements, such as temporary adjustment of duties or working hours. The objective should not simply be to create another category of leave, but to ensure that women are not forced to compromise their health in order to earn their livelihood.

A particularly important aspect of menstrual rights is access to menstrual hygiene products. Sanitary pads and other menstrual products are basic health necessities, not luxuries. A woman who cannot afford adequate menstrual products may be forced to use unsafe alternatives, which can affect her health and dignity. Employers, government programmes and civil-society organizations can contribute by ensuring that affordable menstrual products are available and that women domestic workers are informed about safe menstrual-hygiene practices.

Sanitation is equally important. A domestic worker spends several hours inside the employer’s home, yet she may not always feel comfortable using the household’s facilities for her menstrual needs. A dignified working environment should provide reasonable access to a clean and private toilet, water and facilities for maintaining personal hygiene. These are basic requirements of human dignity and should be considered part of decent working conditions.

Awareness is the bridge between legal rights and real-life protection. Many domestic workers may not know that they are protected by legislation or may not understand the nature of their rights. Awareness programmes should therefore be designed specifically for domestic workers and their employers. Government labour departments, women’s organizations, health workers, community centres and civil-society groups can conduct simple awareness sessions in Urdu and local languages. Television, radio and social media can be used to spread messages about menstrual health and the rights of domestic workers. Lady Health Workers and community health workers can play an especially valuable role by providing information about menstrual hygiene, pain management, nutrition, sanitation and when medical assistance should be sought. Employers should also receive simple guidance explaining that menstruation is a normal health matter and that providing access to water, sanitation, privacy and reasonable flexibility is part of responsible employment. Awareness campaigns should reach both workers and employers because a worker must know her rights, while an employer must understand the responsibility that comes with employing another person.

Legal awareness should also be incorporated into the implementation of the Punjab Domestic Workers Act, 2019. Simple information cards or booklets could explain the basic rights of domestic workers, including wages, working hours, leave, health protections and available support. These materials should avoid complicated legal language and should be distributed through local communities, health centres, women’s organizations and domestic-worker networks. A right written in complex legal language is of little value to a worker who cannot understand or access it.

A written employment agreement can further strengthen these protections. Domestic workers should ideally receive a simple agreement specifying wages, working hours, duties, weekly rest, leave and health-related arrangements. Menstrual-health accommodations could be included as part of the worker’s overall health and welfare provisions. Such agreements would help transform domestic employment from an informal and uncertain arrangement into a relationship in which both parties understand their responsibilities.

Implementation must also involve accessible support systems. Labour departments should establish simple mechanisms through which domestic workers can obtain information about registration, wages, leave and health-related rights. Legal-aid organizations and community groups can assist women who face difficulties in enforcing their rights. Because domestic work takes place across numerous private households, implementation cannot depend solely upon traditional workplace inspection. Community outreach, registration, awareness campaigns and accessible support services must work together.

International labour standards can also provide guidance. The International Labour Organization’s Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189) recognizes domestic workers as workers entitled to protection of their human rights, fair working conditions and occupational safety and health. Although Pakistan has not ratified Convention No. 189, its principles provide a valuable international benchmark for strengthening the protection of domestic workers and developing policies that recognize their particular working conditions.

Ultimately, menstrual dignity is not simply about granting an additional day of leave. It is about creating a working environment in which a woman does not have to hide her pain, compromise her health or feel ashamed of a natural biological process. It is about recognizing that access to sanitation, privacy, menstrual products, reasonable rest and health-related accommodation are closely connected with the broader idea of decent work.

Imagine a domestic worker entering a household knowing that she will be treated with respect. Imagine her being able to say that she is experiencing menstrual pain without fear of losing her wages. Imagine her having access to clean water, a private toilet and the menstrual products she needs. Imagine an employer understanding that allowing a short period of rest is not an act of generosity, but an ordinary expression of human respect. These may appear to be small changes, but for a woman whose livelihood depends upon domestic work, they can represent a profound improvement in her working life.

The true measure of a society is not only how it treats those who possess wealth, education or power. It is how it treats those whose labour is essential but whose voices are often unheard. Domestic workers enter our homes, care for our families and perform work that allows households to function. Their contribution deserves more than gratitude. It deserves recognition, protection and dignity.

“Dignity at Home” therefore calls for both legal recognition and social change.Pakistan has already taken important steps through constitutional guarantees, domestic-worker legislation and judicial intervention. The next step is to ensure that these protections reach the everyday lives of women domestic workers and that menstrual health becomes part of the national conversation about decent and dignified work.

A clean toilet, access to water, a sanitary product, a moment of rest and the freedom to manage one’s menstrual health without shame may appear to be modest demands. In reality, they represent something much greater: the recognition that every woman, wherever she works and whatever work she performs, deserves to work with dignity.

Because a home may have walls and doors, but dignity has no doorstep.