International Domestic Workers Day on June 16 will mark fourteen years since the adoption of the landmark ILO Convention No. 189 on Domestic Workers, a global commitment to uphold the rights and dignity of those who perform paid work in private homes. It affirmed what should be obvious: domestic workers are workers, and they deserve the same protections, wages and respect afforded to any other occupation.

Yet, even today, this simple truth is too often ignored.

Across Asiathe pressures of our time are mounting. We are living through a period of overlapping crises: rising geopolitical tensions, record-breaking extreme weather events, spiralling living costs and deepening social inequality. These disruptions have made clear that domestic work is essential. It is the invisible infrastructure that keeps households — and by extension, societies — functioning. In moments of disaster, it becomes a vital lifeline.

During the 2024 floods in the Mekong Subregion, domestic workers were the ones scrubbing mud from flooded homes. In the aftermath of the earthquake that struck Myanmar and Thailand in March 2025, it was domestic workers who helped household members evacuate to safety. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, domestic workers provided vital support to families caring for the sick, elderly and young.

Quietly, without fanfare, they were first responders. But were they recognised? Were they listed on emergency registries? Were they considered in response planning? Too often, the answer is no.

Crisis response systems rarely account for domestic workers, either as contributors to recovery or as individuals in need of protection themselves. This blind spot reveals a deeper problem: the ongoing failure to value care and domestic labour as essential to our collective well-being.

Despite their critical contributions, domestic workers across the region remain among the most exploited and unprotected workers. An ILO study in ASEAN found that in Thailand and Malaysia, about half of domestic workers work more than ten hours per day. Over a quarter of domestic workers in these countries work seven days a week with no day off. Many are excluded from basic labour laws that guarantee rest time, maximum working hours, or even the right to a minimum wage. In addition, domestic workers’ skills and experience are rarely reflected in what they earn.

These are not isolated cases — they reflect systemic neglect.

Still, there are signs of progress. In 2024, Thailand took a bold step with Ministerial Regulation No. 15, which extended key labour protections to domestic workers, including minimum wage guarantees, an eight-hour workday and paid maternity leave. Malaysia also moved forward by extending its Employment Injury, Invalidity and Survivors’ schemes to migrant workers including migrant domestic workers.

Yet most countries in the region continue to exclude domestic workers from social protection frameworks, leaving them without a safety net when they are most vulnerable.

Recognising domestic workers’ rights is not a gesture of charity. It is an essential, practical, forward-looking policy choice. Governments can legislate comprehensive protections. Trade unions can organise domestic workers and amplify their voices. Employers can adopt practices to ensure decent working conditions and fair treatment. And all of us, as members of society, can shift how we perceive domestic work, not as invisible, informal help, but as a vital component of our economy and our resilience.

We may not be able to prevent every crisis. But we can strengthen our societies' ability to respond and recover. Protecting domestic workers and recognising the vital role they play must be part of that strategy.

Let us build a future where domestic workers are no longer overlooked in our homes, laws or disaster plans. Let us finally treat their work as what it truly is: essential.

Kaori Nakamura-Osaka is the assistant director-general and regional director for Asia and the Pacific at the International Labour Organization. The view and opinions expressed are her own.