REPORTS of bad treatment meted out to housemaids by the mistress or master of the house make one wonder whether we are part of the civilised world. Horrid descriptions of ruthless behaviour continue to fill newspaper headlines and yet there appears to be nothing that the law of the land can do to prevent hapless domestic aids falling victim to torture of their employers or have the perpetrators punished through a quick trial. The fact that 305 of the victims (nearly 50 percent of the reported cases of violence against house maids) succumbed to torture between 2001 and 2008 should put any civilised society to shame.

The number of such incidents, of which we suspect only a fraction of what actually occurs gets reported, is horrendous. And going by the statistics available one could safely surmise that this category of workers is perhaps one of the most victimised of our workforce. This is an informal sector of employment where a large labour force is engaged which is neither under the scrutiny nor examination of the authorities and the employers are left to their own devices to determine their pay and condition of work.

Seeking the help of the law by the victims is not much use either mainly because the employer, being more influential, finds his or her way to circumvent laws or find a way to settle out of court which the poor domestic help has no other option but to accept. And in this too, much of whatever compensation is paid goes to the middleman.

We feel it is time for the state to step in. It is not too late to put in place provisions governing the terms and conditions of work of housemaids. Not only should that be introduced without delay, but also associated with it should be provision for stringent punishment, particularly for physical abuse. It is also time to consider whether some provisions couldn't be put in place that would ensure not only speedy but also less costly trial process. As for the present the relevant ministry should come forward to provide legal aid to the victims to pursue their cases.

However, one can hope for little improvement in the condition of the housemaids if the employers do not change their attitude towards the employees. Housemaids are indispensable features in the life of middleclass working families and they must be treated with due respect and consideration.