1

Group no: 150

Swathi Mishra- B.com2 (hons)
Suhani Gupta- B.com2(hons)
S.Revanth Kumar- Mi.C.Ca2
A.Nitin Kumar- MEC’s2(A)

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We take this opportunity to express our gratitude to those who have helped
us and made it possible to successfully complete the project.

We express our solemn gratitude to Ms. Maithry Shinde, (HOD, Dept. of

English) our project supervisor for her whole hearted guidance and
supervision throughout the process of our project preparation.

We are thankful to the RMO (Regional Medical Officer) of Princess Esra

Hospital for giving us the permission to interact with nurses .We would like
to thank our faculty and friends who helped us immensely in our project.

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CONTENTS:

• INTRODUCTION

• BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

• REVIEW OF LITERATURE

• METHODOLOGY

• ANALYSIS

• CONCLUSION

• RECOMMENDATIONS

• BIBLIOGRAPHY

• ANNEXURE

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A STUDY OF PEOPLE’S LIFE INTO VULNERABLE JOBS

INTRODUCTION:

There is no universal or common definition of vulnerability, but in relation to

employment the concept of vulnerable groups denotes the risk of marginalization from
the labor market and social exclusion. It includes workers who are in some form of
employment but are at high risk of losing their jobs. It is therefore, a very heterogeneous
group. These are professions in which people can be exploited easily with no social
protection, basic rights nor voice at work. It includes groups, most susceptible to health
risk. The people into this group are treated with no respect. Mostly, people who can’t
defend themselves, people having personal problem belong to such group because they
can’t raise their voice for the reason that they will loose their job. Those in the helping
professions are particularly susceptible and are considered to be vulnerable. The problem
faced by these people is that they work for long hour but get low remuneration which in
turn is exploitation and which makes the profession vulnerable. The burden of
vulnerability is more among women than men. Women employed in casual and contract
jobs have been found to be more vulnerable to unwanted sexual advances than those in
permanent full-time positions, according to a recent study. Women in part-time or non-
permanent jobs are about ten times more likely to be sexually harassed at work. Poor
women living in rural and semi-urban areas of the country possess varying skills relating
to farming and non-farming jobs, which if appropriately harnessed, can enhance women
deployment in the formal sector. Urban based female workforce deployed in vulnerable
jobs are either home based workers ---home based micro businesses or piece rate
workers-- who get work from outside both from registered and non-registered
manufacturing/ business houses. The people that come under this category mostly have:
• Lack of clarity
• Personal insecurities
• Conflicts
• Unreasonable performance expectations

These people have no social respect; have to work almost like slaves under the
authorities. As we all know that every body has a right to speak and live with freedom
but vulnerability is stepping down all their desires in all fields and in all angles.

The vulnerable groups that exist in our society are:

• People at risk of Domestic Abuse
• People who have or have had drug and/or alcohol problems

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• People living with HIV/AIDS

• People with Learning Disabilities
• People with Mental Health problems
• Offenders
• Older People
• People with physical disabilities (including sensory impairment)
• Teenage Parents
• Travelers
• Young People
• Low paid labors

It is not uncommon to hear of vulnerability in the field of nursing, teacher, police, hotel
servants, and in similar kind of fields.
From the groups that are mentioned above through our project we are trying to profile
the lives of people belonging to the groups of
• Nurses
• Domestic helpers
• Hotel servants

BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT:

Vulnerable situations of the people are not new to the current world. The susceptibility of
the people started from the colonial rule in the countries. India was ruled by the British
and the Mughals for hundreds of years and Indians were treated like slaves and put into
odd jobs to satisfy the needs of the foreign rulers. However, most of these countries have
stopped exploiting their people to a large extent; Indians are still prone to be in
vulnerable jobs. In fact, we can say that situations have worsened here.
In our routine life we come across many people who are not connected directly
with us but they influence our lives in one or the other way. The way people like house
maids, sweepers, servants work in the hard conditions and even after that they are
exploited. After observing a case of a house maid we decided to take up this issue as our
project. A heart rending story that provoked our thoughts to take this issue and bring her
experience and pain to surface.
The project will showcase the profiles of people into vulnerable jobs, issues and
problems faced by the people of this category. The project will help us to acknowledge
people who are performing these jobs and are important for our society. It will make
people empathetic towards such people and make them realize their how insensitive they
have been to the people around.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

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Good Practice with Vulnerable Adults by Jackie Prichard

This is a practical and trans-disciplinary guide for professionals working with vulnerable
adults, who include the frail elderly, those with mental health problems or physical
disabilities, learning disabilities or serious physical illness. The contributors address key
problems and dilemmas in working to protect these groups from abuse and to support
those who have already experienced abuse or neglect. They consider the procedural
implications of the latest Department of Health guidance on working with vulnerable
adults and make practical suggestions for working with both victims and abusers.
Highlighting the importance of interagency working, the contributors
show how the related fields of child abuse, domestic violence and adult abuse can come
together to promote increased understanding and good practice. With its emphasis on
effective practice and contributions from social work, general medical practice, criminal
justice and adult protection, this collection will be an indispensable resource for students,
practitioners, service managers and policy makers in all sectors.
He also discussed about the adult protection procedures, geriatric health service, adult
abuse, elder abuse, financial abuse, institutional abuse etc. In this book he beautifully
mentioned that how the adult exploited easily and the hard core time they went through.
He also discussed about the adult protection unit and the coordinator. There is detailed
view of the problems of women through the conversations. It also speaks about the
domestic violence, negligence of the vulnerable people. The book covers all the issues of
the vulnerable people and vulnerability through
These study, remarks and also the recommendations.

ARTICLES:

IS YOUR PROFESSION VULNERABLE???

BEAT BURNOUT….

A burnout may be defined as a failure in a device attributable to burning, excessive heat,

or a friction. This burnout can happen in any field, profession, routine, system, custom,
etc. This may arise because of lack of clarity, personal control, insecurities, conflicts,
restricted resources, etc. Nurse burnout, teacher burnout, pastor burnout, lawyer’s
burnout, doctor’s burnout, police burnout, etc are very uncommon burnouts dealing with
its common causes. To beat the burnout in them people should prevent and deal with the
job burnout, continue the job, adjust the thinking and the new projects and programs
should be organized to overcome this problem.

WOMEN’S RIGHT OVERVIEW

The facts has approved that the women are exploited more in the professions. The women
who get easily exploited and who do such jobs are mostly the Dalit women. They
constitute 80.5 million people which include both males and females. Dalit women are

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India’s worst victims in case of discrimination, exploitation, deprivation and violence.

The most of the crimes against them go unreported and unpunished.
In November 2006, NCDHR (NATIONAL CAMPAINGN ON DALIT HUMAN
RIGHTS) took part in the international conference on the human rights of Dalit women,
held in Hague. NCDHR aims to create the awareness among the Dalit women and to
protect and promote their rights through long term process and effective monitoring.

ETHICS-VULNERABLE PROFESSIONS

This article deals with the ethics related to the vulnerable populations. The people who
are engaged in the designing are covered in this. The ethical views of the designers are
discussed by showcasing two problems. Firstly, how the designers serve the vulnerable
population and how they give time to there special needs. Secondly, how the designers
decide what is good for any vulnerable population. In both the cases these people are
suppressed. There is neither voice, demand nor any right regarding there profession. The
ultimate owners are the designers in this case. This thing is not only with the designers
but also with the other owners in any profession. The same discrimination is being
repeated continuously by the society and the owners.

METHODOLOGY:

Domestic helpers:

A domestic helper is one who works, lives within the household for the master or
employer. They receive the payment for the work done by them. They take care of the
entire domestic and the dependent works such as washing, ironing, buying foods and
drinks, accompanying the head of the household for grocery shopping, cooking and
cleaning of the house. Every middle class family in India has a maid.
In the field work, we had an interaction with many of the domestic helpers. We
came to know the different stories from different people and all fulfilled our aim that is
vulnerability. Though they had different backgrounds and different reasons but all the
cases were pitiable.
We interviewed a lady who told us every bit of her life with great difficulty. She
started with a sentence stating that no one in the world want to live a miserable life until
they are forced to do so.
Name: Bharti
Age: 42 years
Occupation: housemaid
Experience: more than 30 years
Income: 16000-18000 yearly

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There are 7 members in their family, 4 sisters, 1 brother, mother and father. No one
in the family studied but they started working at the very age of 9 or 10. The father is a
taxi driver but that too on rent basis. The income earned by him was not at all sufficient
for the family. Every member of the family worked hard to live the life. Her mother was
from a middle class family but she is badly forced to do the work. She sold every bit of
her belongings to continue the routine. All the sisters are married at the early age of 13-
15. The lady named Bharati is still continuing the job.
Bharati is in this profession for more than 30 years. She now has 2 daughters and a
son. She got one of her daughters married, one daughter does the same work, still
continues a bit of studies. Her husband works in a factory of spices and they also do shoe-
making. Her younger daughter is only 9 years old but then she helps her mother in shoe-
making and domestic help. Her son works in a factory with no studies.
She confesses that they have to face many difficulties in
day to day routine. The problems are not only economical but also social, etc. At the time
of marriage of her daughter, there was a severe problem of dowry. They can hardly collect
and save the money and then this dowry is like a curse for them. They demanded for the
dowry of 3 lakhs rupees which was highly impossible for the family to give. She wept
badly by saying that the people who demand for the dowry are not only worst than beggars
but also inhuman. They take the daughter and also the dowry. She couldn’t do the marriage
there because she was unable to fulfill their demands.
She then married her daughter to a man who was 35 years of age but still he
demanded for the dowry of 75000 which was also a big burden on her. She begged for
money from every relative, at the places she worked, etc. With great difficulty she
managed the expenses and dowry. But then feels guilty because she married her daughter
with a very old person. She says that she was left with nothing to do after that.
Now after 10 months of her daughter’s marriage she is unable to pay back a
little of the amount. Now she has to pay the money to the lenders in the situation when
her husband drinks badly and take away the money from her. She has to bear all this. It’s
because of her son she manages to continue her life otherwise the life is like hell to her.
Being a woman it’s always difficult to go to houses and work daily. They
have to listen many things from the owners. Most of them treat them like animals. They
won’t even get any sort of respect in the places they work but then have to continue
because of money.
The other house maid that we interviewed had different story to tell us. She
expressed her emotions explicitly.
Name: Lakshmi
Age: 42
Experience: 20
Income: 18000 yearly
She belongs to a very good family where her brother is in police force and is
well settled in their village. Then she got married to a person who was a tailor by
profession. The problems in her life started with the start of her married life. Her
husband every day used to spend his income for fulfilling his requirements of alcohol

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and other needs. Later, she had 3 daughters and the attitude of her husband didn’t
change. After being a part of a good family she was illiterate and when there was a
need for her to stand for her family her husband didn’t support her. She had no work
to do as she was illiterate so at the end she had only option left was to work as a
house maid. Then, she continued her life working as a house maid in number of
houses and in this way she supported her daughters. As time went on, her husband
left the family and went off for not coming again.
Later, two daughters got married with lakshmi’s brothers (uncle). This step
was taken to avoid the burden of dowry as it was difficult for her to even spend her
livelihood where she was earning only 50 rupees per day.
Now, she is working to feed herself and she is making her younger daughter
study. But now also problems are there in her life as she is struggling for having a
steady residence.

Nurses:

Nursing is a responsible profession and people who are into this

take care of the safety, treatment and recovery of the patients/injured people. Nurses may
also perform their duties in many ways like in medical, nursing research and in
rehabilitation institutes. They take care of ailing humans from general ward to the
operation theatre. The nursing career and their education vary in different countries. They
are mainly categorized between task-based nursing and professional nursing. They are
placed basically in registered nurses, advanced practice nurses, clinical nurses, advanced
specialists and nurse practitioners.

In India there are many organizations and institutes which

provide the education and training for the nurses. The Indian nurses comprises of:-
• ANM
• GNM
• B.SC
• P.HD…….

Basically, ANM and GNM nurses come under vulnerable profession. ANM
nurses get education and training from the institute after 10th and the GNM nurses get
trained after 12th. We spoke to 3 head nurses and the ANM and GNM nurses under them.
It was not easy to know the direct answers from them as they were much closed and
didn’t want to confess the hardships they go through. We tried to convince them in such a
manner that they reveal the struggle and the efforts done by them in their profession.
In the field work done by us we came across many nurses. Their attitude,
behaviors, life style, etc change by the way they lead or live their life. The nurse named
……… to whom we spoke was from a middle class family and wanted to live her life
independently. She passed her Intermediate and then got admitted in the institute for the
training of nurse. She entered with many of her friends in this field. The beginning was

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not easy for her as she has to face many difficulties like sanctioning of loan and then
repaying it in installments. She has to take care of herself in the profession which
includes day to day insults. This type of problem is not only a verbal abuse but also a
physical ill-treatment. The behavior of the patients towards them is always rude to them.
They sometimes try to overcome the situation but at the end they have to sacrifice their
conscience as this is their profession and such types of problems are like daily routine for
them. We came through many such cases like:

1. Once a patient was admitted in the hospital in emergency and there was no doctor
available to give the treatment. Usually when doctor is not there they give the primary
treatment necessary, the people who came with him started abusing and misbehaving
with the nurses. He was shouting like anything but the nurses were really forced to listen
to all his non sense since they were into such profession. After some time when he was
treated by the doctor he relaxed for some time but then again he started the same
behavior. The nurses tolerated for 2 days but when it was uncontrollable they wanted to
complain against him. But now they have to face the problem in the formality. They can’t
contact directly to the RMO and………. (Who takes care of the problems related to the
hospital).They have to complain it to the head nurse and then when she finds it necessary
she registers the complaint in the complain register or the box which is handled by the
RMO. If then also it continues they most probably change the duties of the nurses.

2. If a person dies in the hospital for any reason, it is blamed that it is because of the
negligence of the doctors and nurses. Once a person died in the hospital and his relative
misbehaved badly. They broke all the glasses of the windows, tore the curtains etc. The
hospital staff, nurses and doctors left nothing to do in that. They just tried to make them
pay the whole compensation in the hospital. Though the hospital at the end takes care of
such incidents but ultimately the nurses only had to take blame for all the loss happened

3. These problems are more faced by the female nurses but some times it happens with
the male nurses also and more in the starting career. We went to a government hospital
there was only one B.Sc nurse. They have head nurses in the department and the duties
are assigned by them only. It is always that 2 to 3 nurses are placed in one ward. It so
happened that only 2 male nurses were there in the ward and no female nurse was there.
A lady got admitted in the ward in the emergency and she had heart problem. The male
nurse gave her the treatment for some time but when she got back normal situation, she
filed a case on the male nurses for his misbehavior. They left with only one explanation
that they were doing their job and just giving the treatment. But then she demanded for
the compensation and the male nurse was poor and not in position to pay it. The case is
still pending in the court. This was not at all his fault but then they have to face the
consequences of this profession.

4. The nurses come across with many difficulties. Everyone has some personal life and
the problems which we are bringing to surface. The incident which we saw in front of our
eyes was really pitiable. A lady was pregnant and she wanted the leave from her duty for

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some time till her delivery. But it was not so easy for her to take the leave. As we were
interacting with the head nurse, she came there and told her problem that she has taken
the signature of the receptionist but now she has to take many more signs and she is
unable to take the signatures. If some one takes the leave then he or she has to take sign
or permission from the person who will be doing duty instead of his or her place. It’s
compulsory that they should find any replacer instead of him or her. If they are unable to
do so then it won’t be possible to take leave. After the replacer signs, the application
should be signed by the head nurse and then the RMO AND PRMO. It’s really very
horrible to complete all the formalities in this critical situation. But if they want the leave
in any condition they have to fulfill all the formalities. It can be understood that anybody
would have to go through all these formalities but what is painful is these people have to
be at the mercy of everybody.

Hotel servants:

These are the people in the profession of serving in hotels. It is not an exaggeration to say
that they are feeding us indirectly, as they prepare the food and serve us. This is not an
appalling job but the things like their background, surroundings and their struggle to
fulfill desires make it a vulnerable profession. They have to work for a long time, they
have to work under some authority and sometimes they should be patient when customers
and their bosses scold them.
In our field work we interviewed many of the hotel servants and in our
project we are profiling two cases and they are as under:
Name: Shiva
Age: 27 years
Place: Narayanguda
Income: 1500-2000 per month
Work place: Golden point with an experience of 3 years.
Work timings: 7am to 1 pm and 1.30 to 10 pm.
He stays near NMDC, and hotel is 3 kms away from his place. He up and down to the
hotel by walk.

There are 5 workers in the hotel and their pay is around 2000. He has to come regular in
order to get full payment without any cut offs in spite of health or personal problems. He
is ill-treated at work place either by the owner or by customers. As he is an illiterate, he
has no other option than to continue the present job as he is the only bread winner in the
family. So, he has to bear all the consequences at the work place with no arguments. In
the hotel he has to look after the crockery and if there is any damage to it, he has to bear
the consequences. He is responsible to keep the hotel clean. If anything goes wrong at the
work place, he is been scolded without any proper reasons.
The next story is of a hotel servant who is having personal problems and to get rid of
them he is ready to do all kind of jobs.
Name: Kondala Rao

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Age: 34 years
Income: 2000-2200 per month
Place: Dilsukhnagar.
Hotel: Laxmi Bhavani
He is married and came from the village in search of livelihood. He was married
with a handicapped woman who is unable to do his own work properly. He also has two
children. He wants them to study and stand independent in their life. He doesn’t want
them to be slaves like him. He as a hotel servant faces many problems which are similar
to many hotel servants. The place where he works also has a tea stall which is managed
by him. He is the head servant at his work place. He has to take care of all the servants
working in that place. He is responsible for all crockery, arrangements, cleanliness, etc.
The problems he faces are:

1. Generally, whenever customer places an order they prefer instant service by the
providers and if there is any delay the customer scolds them, abuses them as though they
have done a sin. They have to listen to the scolding for the mistakes that are not done by
them.
2. He has many personal problems also and the income which he earns here is not at all
sufficient to fulfill his family needs. So, he steals the tokens and sells them on his own
and that money goes into his pocket. He always looks after for the golden opportunity to
steal some of the tokens. He or any one never wants to do such things but he is forced to
do as his income is not enough to carry on his livelihood.
3. The severe situation rose one day when he was at the tea stall, a jug full of warm/hot
tea emptied on his face. His face was completely burned from one side. There was no
treatment help given by the manager or the staff. He was only blamed for not doing the
work properly. The way he managed to come out of that situation is very painstaking and
cannot be handled by anyone. The pain he went through was for some days but the inner
pain can never be imagined by anyone.
4. They normally won’t speak with the customers but whenever a kind heartened person
comes they want to speak with him very politely and in a soft manner. They even get
scolding from the manager or the owner for talking unnecessary things at the work place.
They don’t even have the right to speak, talk, move, walk or stand by their wish. They
just only have to follow his master orders.

Analysis:

After the interaction with these people we can just analyze that people
performing these jobs are vulnerable but in some way they are the important part of the
society. The analysis for each group is given as under:

DOMESTIC HELPERS:

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Domestic helpers are the most vulnerable people of the society because
They generally belong to the lower class and they don’t have any union or society to fight
for their rights.
1. There is no increment in the salary and there is no contract available for
them.
2. They are supposed to do small but important work which the well heeled
people shy away from doing. The thing that the house holds work is too
small for their big egos and meant for the domestic servants.
3. If the domestic maid does not come for work, they are overburdened feel it
difficult to manage the daily routine works and schedule.
4. Even after working in number of houses the maids are able to earn only
50 rupees a day which is not enough to survive in today’s world.
5. The owners exploit them by forcing them to do the cheap works for which
they are not appointed.
6. They face sexual exploitation, harassment, tortures, and abuses at their work
place.
7. They develop a negative attitude in them by the way they are treated in the
work are

NURSES:

Those who enter in to the profession are excited about nursing. Our perception is that the
nursing profession was held in high esteem, not only by the public but by employers and
governments. Women and men in the profession are proud of the great work they do in
providing care. The cases that we studied through them we came to know that:

1. Nurses get sexually exploited and it is taken care by the supervisors but even
after the case is solved the tenderness of the situation remains in the mind.
2. In government hospitals the work load is more on them due to the shortage of
the staff.
3. In every hospital nurses are one of the most important parts of the health care
system and most of the work is conceded by them. But, at the end the work
done by them is neglected and all the credit goes to doctor.
4. Most of the times people under estimates the abilities of nurses but they forget
that nurses are the chiefs of patients care in the hospital.
5. Many nurses have dissatisfaction because of the attributes like heavy
workloads, leadership styles, motivation, inadequate training, and lack of
respect.

Hotel servants:

1. They have to work hard to secure their family future.

2. These hotel servants are less respected in the society.

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3. As we saw in one case where the hotel servant got burnt and there was nobody
to look after him, which shows that they don’t even have the social protection.

4. They are forced to work for long hours and are provided with the food which
is not fresh and is unhygienic.
5. They come to cities with the dream to spend a better life from their village but
the exploitation which takes place make their condition worse, when the last
resort for them is only suicide.
6. The relationship between an employer and her servant is one of the most
poignant power struggles of everyday Indian life. And as with most power
struggles, it is characterized by bitterness and resentment, with apparently
little hope of reconciliation

Conclusion:

Analyzing the situation and reports and also being in direct contact with the
problems led us to a practical and simple conclusion. This conclusion does not include
retelling of the story. Our conclusion actually proposes a solution that has probably been
taken into consideration by now.
It deals with involving both the people that are discriminated on (the
vulnerable groups, with a special concern) and the ones that can do something about
reducing the discrimination and even abolish it (governments, intergovernmental
organizations, NGOs, Civil society.)
The idea is that of a “meeting point”. Coming from two opposite directions,
they should meet half way, being able to make compromises, sustain objective dialogues,
leading to an increased awareness, acknowledgement, or even solving of the issue.
Our conclusion of the project is asking people to build respect for the people of
this category. We want people to change their thinking and perception towards this
category and sensitize ourselves and others realize their importance in our lives.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Excess and effective use of the vulnerable people has become compulsory to
ensure that the daily schedule is going uninterruptedly. But the over burdened and
ill use of such people will result in strikes, lockouts, movements, etc. The
exploitation should be stopped if bosses don’t want to face the consequences.
• Everyone in the society should respect the vulnerable population as they play a
very important role in the society.
• Elder ones in the family should develop respect for vulnerable people in them and
also in their children.

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• Every possible measure should be taken by the citizens to develop the vulnerable
people as they also constitute a main part in the development of the society, state,
country and also the world.
• A strong political, social, economical, cultural, financial commitment is required
from the society to treat these people as the normal human beings and help them
out to develop in every field.
• Vulnerable adult financial abuse can be stopped but it will take a concentrated
effort by all of us working together in the community to let the perpetrators know
that these behaviors will not be tolerated

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BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• WWW.WIKEPEDIA.ORG

• WWW.DAWN.COM

• WWW.ECONOMICTIMES.INDIATIMES.COM

• WWW.BOOKS.GOOGLE.CO.IN

• WWW.AMAZON.COM

GOOD PRACTICES WITH VULNERABLE ADULTS BY JACKIE

PRICHARD

• JOB BURNOUT

• WOMEN’S RIGHT OVERVIEW

• ETHICS- VULNERABLE PROFESSIONS

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Questionnaire:

Domestic helpers

1. From how many years are you working as a helper?

2. Per day how many places you go?
3. How much is your income per day?
4. Are you the only member working in your family?
5. How a many members are there in your family?

Nurses

6. How do you get the financial support?

7. From how many years are you working?
8. What was your interest rather than nursing?
9. Are you comfortable?
10. Are you satisfied with your job?

ARTICLES:

WOMEN IN CONTRACT JOBS VULNERABLE TO SEXUAL ABUSE

New Delhi, September 17: Women employed in casual and contract jobs have been
found to be more vulnerable to unwanted sexual advances than those in permanent full-
time positions, according to a recent study.
Women in part-time or non-permanent jobs are about ten times more likely to be
sexually harassed at work, says Associate Professor Anthony La Montagne of the
University of Melbourne, which conducted the study.
Montagne who examined the likelihood of sexual harassment in different types
of employment found that casual job workers are also about five times more likely to be
subjected to sexual harassment than permanent employees.
New Delhi-based Centre for Social Research Director Ranjana Kumari says, ‘in
contract jobs the employee is always insecure and at the mercy of the employer thus
increasing the vulnerability of the employee.
She points out ‘In such cases you are not in a position to even negotiate,
because if you raise your voice then the employer can easily throw you out since you are
not permanent in the job.’
Psychologist Samir Parikh, however is of the opinion, "Apart from insecurity it
is the mindset of the other person that plays an important role."

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"Whoever makes such advances feels that since they are on permanent roll they
can get away with such things and take undue advantage of temporary employees," he
adds.
The study also establishes that women are more vulnerable to sexual abuse in
comparison to their male counterparts. "Our study shows that 79 per cent of those who
experience unwanted sexual advances at work are women," says La Montagne. In the
Indian context too the findings are found to stand true. Ranjana says, "It's a well-
established fact since years women are more sexually-harassed. The prime concern for
most women is that they are able to sustain their jobs and thus never speak-out about it."
"Also a woman realizes that if she protests there are chances that her character would be
put to question, so she puts up with the harassment," adds Ranjana. The study also
highlights a strong link between sexual harassment and mental health problems.
"People who behave in this manner may not have any actual mental problems
but they are unable to respect the other person," says Samir. He adds ‘the person inclined
towards sexual harassment has a coveted type of mind-set. Bringing the other person at
par with the rest of colleagues becomes difficult for him.’
More women are working than ever before, but they are also more likely than
men to get low-productivity,low-paidand vulnerable jobs, with no social protection, basic
rights nor voiceatwork according to a new report by the International Labor Office (ILO)
issued for International Women*s Day.

*Global employment trends for women - March 2008* */,

released on the occasion of International Women*s Day, says that the
number of employed women grew by almost 200 million over the last
decade, to reach 1.2 billion in 2007 compared to 1.8 billion men.
However, the number of unemployed women also grew from 70.2 to 81.6
million over the same period.

*Women continue to enter the world*s workforce in great

numbers. This progress must not obscure the glaring inequities that
still exist in workplaces throughout the world,* said ILO
Director-General Juan Somalia. *The workplace and the world of work
are at the centre of global solutions to address gender equality and the
advancement of women in society. By promoting decent work for women, we
are empowering societies and advancing the cause of economic and social
development for all.*

The report shows that improvements in the status of women in

labor markets throughout the world have not substantially narrowed
gender gaps in the workplace. The share of women in vulnerable
employment - unpaid contributing family workers or own-account
workers, rather than wage and salaried work - decreased from 56.1 to
51.7 per cent since 1997. However the burden of vulnerability is still
greater for women than men, especially in the world*s poorest regions.

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In the Philippines, results of the Labor Force Survey in October

2007 revealed that labor force participation for women was only 36.5
per cent compared to men at 63.5 per cent. Although there are more
unemployed men, many Filipino women remain in low paid jobs at 26.25 per
cent with only 10.94 per cent for men. In addition, women in the
Philippines tend to get jobs which are low in productivity.

Other key findings of the report:

* Worldwide, the female unemployment rate stood at 6.4 per cent

compared to the male rate of 5.7 per cent.

* Less than 70 women are economically active for every 100 men
globally. Remaining outside of the labor force is often not a choice
but an imposition. It is likely that women would opt for remunerated
work outside the home if it became acceptable to do so.

* At the global level, the female employment-to-population ratio -

which indicates how much economies are able to take advantage of the
productive potential of their working-age population - was 49.1 per cent
in 2007 compared to a male employment-to-population ratio of 74.3 per
cent.

* Over the past decade, the service sector has overtaken

agriculture as the prime employer of women. In 2007, 36.1 per cent of
employed women worked in agriculture and 46.3 per cent in services. In
comparison, male sect oral shares were 34.0 per cent in agriculture and 40.4 per cent in
services.

Job Burnout -Is Your Profession Vulnerable?

Job burnout is not completely preventable in any profession. The professions listed below
are not alone. Where you have people, you will have burnout. Where you have people
you will find:

• Lack of clarity
• Lack of personal control
• Personal insecurities
• Conflicts
• Unreasonable performance expectations
• Too few resources ...

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... And a host of other factors, internal and external, that can contribute to job related
stress and burnout.

Some professions may be more vulnerable than others. Those in the helping professions
are particularly susceptible. It is not uncommon to hear of nursing burnout, teacher
burnout, pastor burnout, and burnout in lawyers, burnout in doctors, police burnout and
caregiver burnout. It makes you tired to read the list...

And these are men and women we need. We don't want to lose good people to the worst
that stress has to offer. Right now, this very day, stress management in the workplace is
at the critical stage for hundreds (maybe thousands) of men and women who are running
on empty.

FactorsAffectingNurseBurnout
Are These True of Your Workplace?

Nurse burnout ... a few short decades ago, we'd never heard of it. That’s not to say
burnout didn’t exist, but we just hadn’t heard about it.

What happened? Those on the front line are still fiercely proud of their contribution, but
something has gone off the rails otherwise. We confess we don’t know all the reasons,
but nurse burnout has been in the news over the last several years’ right across North
America.

Two respected scholars, Christina Maslach and Michael Leiter have written extensively
on burnout. Their 1997 book “The Truth About Burnout” is still required reading. They
outline six major factors that contribute to job burnout.

Do any of these six speak to your own experience with nursing burnout?

1. Work Overload - There is just too much to do with too few resources and too little
time. I suppose this means the patient cannot receive the attention staff would like and
feel they should give them.

2. Lack of Control - Ability to give input and apply decision making to those things for
which you will be held accountable is diminished. Nursing staff need the opportunity to
make meaningful and welcomed input to caregiving.

3. Insufficient Rewards - When what we do and the passion we bring to our

responsibilities goes mostly unnoticed and unrecognized it brings a demoralizing cloud
over everyday work. Nursing burnout may be able to flourish where people feel the sense
of pride in making a significant contribution has been squeezed out of them for corporate
reasons. Would you agree?

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4. Breakdown of Community - People work best where they enjoy community. As

Maslach and Leiter put it, “they function best when praise, comfort, happiness, and
humor are shared with others they like and respect.” When the measurement is, “what is
the minimum to get by”, staff have little time to create much less cultivate community.

5. Absence of Fairness - Respect, fairness, forthrightness, safe and patient centered

workloads, resolution procedures etc. All of these things and more form a perception of
whether or not the organization is fair. Policies made and imposed from outside can
indicate that something else (oftentimes money) is more important than people.
Debilitating.

6. Value Conflicts - When what you are being asked to do, how you are asked to do it and
under what conditions you actually have to do it are in conflict with your personal
principles and values, it is a recipe for stress. The requirements of the job and the internal
compass need to be in alignment.

Six potential causes of nurse burnout ... six areas of possible mismatch between job and
individual.

Quick Summary: A nurse must report a psychiatrist’s sexual abuse of a vulnerable

patient.

An adult female receiving psychotherapy in a psychiatrist’s office for dissociative

identity disorder or multiple personality disorder is a vulnerable adult as that phrase is
defined by law.

It is not necessary for an adult patient to be hospitalized in an inpatient setting to be

deemed vulnerable by the law.

A vulnerable adult is one who, because of a psychiatric illness or another reason, is

unlikely or unable to report abuse.

Every licensed healthcare professional has a strict legal duty to report abuse of a
vulnerable adult promptly to the proper authorities.

A nurse who fails or neglects to report abuse of a vulnerable adult patient, among other
legal sanctions, can be sued in civil court by the vulnerable adult for compensation for the
physical or emotional harm the adult has experienced because of the nurse’s inaction.

The nurse did rounds with her employer, a psychiatrist, at the hospital, sat in on therapy
sessions with patients and took notes, and saw his patients herself to administer and
monitor their medications.

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The nurse knew the psychiatrist had struck up a personal and sexual relationship with at
least one female patient which lasted more than four years. Two other patients were the
ones who actually sued the psychiatrist and the nurse. The nurse did not know directly the
psychiatrist was at the same time also abusing these two patients, but that did not make
any difference to the Court of Appeals of Minnesota.

The court ruled the nurse understood correctly it was her duty under the law to report a
physician who physically, emotionally, verbally or sexually abused a vulnerable adult
patient. The nurse was not correct, however, according to the court, in believing that a
"vulnerable adult," as defined by law, is one who is receiving inpatient mental health
treatment.

The court stated that "vulnerable" means an adult who is unlikely or unable to report
abuse. A patient in therapy for mental illness is by law a vulnerable patient. This is
especially true for a patient with multiple personalities. A therapist, as this psychiatrist
had done, can call up one of the patient’s personalities, abuse the person as that
personality, intimidate or deceive that personality to remain silent, then summon back
another personality before ending the session, the court pointed out.

As a separate issue, the court ruled the nurse was also wrong for not reporting the
physician’s obvious alcohol and cocaine impairment. This became relevant in the
patients’ civil lawsuit because this impairment clouded his judgment and furthered his
abuse of his patients, the court said

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Women's Rights Overview

Dalit women constitute 80.5 million people—8 out of every 100 citizens in the country
—and approximately 48% of the total Dalit population, 16% of the total female
population and 8% of the total Indian population. Vulnerably positioned at the bottom of
the caste, class and gender hierarchies, Dalit women are India’s worst victims of
discrimination, deprivation, exploitation, and violence. Not only do Dalit women face
endemic violence and discrimination (due to both caste and patriarchy), but the vast
majority of crimes against them go unreported, unregistered and un-punished.

In November 2006, NCDHR took part in (and helped to organize) the first-ever
International Conference on the Human Rights of Dalit Women, held at The Hague.
Determined to “transform their pain into power,” Dalit women from India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal presented shocking and heart-breaking testimonials
about the violence perpetrated against them and the impunity that followed. In
connection with this conference, NCDHR published a two-volume study entitled Dalit
Women Speak Out: Violence Against Dalit Women in India, the culmination of over five
years of research, which presents an analytic overview of the systemic violence—rape,
murder, physical assault and verbal abuse & humiliation—faced by Dalit women in India
along with 500 Dalit women’s own narratives of the violence they personally
experienced. The study and conference demonstrated how violence on Dalit women is
intentionally used to maintain the oppression of the Dalit community by the dominant
castes, while also demonstrating systematic patterns of impunity: In less than 1% of
incidents in the study were perpetrators ever convicted in courts!
The available data on the situation of Dalit women presents quite a disturbing picture:
An average of three Dalit women are raped everyday. A disproportionate number of the
atrocities and human rights violations registered annually under the SC/ST (Prevention of
Atrocities) Act are against women. The unemployment rate of Dalit women is 4.0%
against 0.97% among non-Dalits in rural areas and 3.3% against 1.98% for non-Dalits in
urban areas. The literacy rate of Dalit women is just 23.8% compared to that of 39.3%
among non-Dalits. Due to discrimination, poverty, and gender role ideology, Dalit

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women have a drop out rate of 53.96% at the primary school level. The poverty rate
among Dalit women is 36.2% against 21.6% among non-Dalit women. 94% of Dalit
women are engaged in the unorganized, self-employed sector (farm/wage workers,
domestic helpers, etc.), marked by overwork, low wages, non-payment of equal wages,
and absence of social security or maternity benefits.

Dalit women face violence and exploitation

not only from the dominant castes, but also at home within their own families and Dalit
communities. Regardless of the context, when a Dalit woman defends her dignity and
demands her basic human rights, if her position contradicts traditional caste, gender, and
cultural norms, she is not given support and often becomes the target of violence.
Statistics on Dalit women’s access to justice show the extent of the problem. NCDHR’s
study and other reports show that perpetrators are punished in less than 1% of the cases.
In other words, the perpetrators of crimes against Dalit women go completely free in
more than 99% of the crimes committed, and are even seen to further threaten and punish
the same survivors. The study further reveals that in 39% of the instances of violence the
survivors did not seek legal redress for fear of bringing dishonor to theier family, for lack
of human or financial

support, or because they did not trust that they would get justice. In 27% of the instances
of violence, the victim’s appeal for justice to the village panchayat or administration was
thwarted by pressure and threats from the perpetrators. In 18% of the instances, the police
thwarted justice by threatening, refusing to file the complaint, forcing an extra-legal
compromise, or making false counter cases.
Despite the gravity of the situation, there are very little efforts or mechanisms by the
Indian state or other movements or organizations to protect Dalit women or support their
quest for justice. NCDHR aims in its work to create awareness among the national and
international community regarding the unique plight of Dalit women and to expose the
failure of the state to protect and promote Dalit women's rights. Our long term goal is to
build effective monitoring and legal mechanisms to support women who face violence, to
train and support Dalit women’s rights defenders, to build alliances with other
movements, and to ensure the effective functioning of the justice and administrative
systems to destroy the culture of impunity.

Dalit Women's Movement

The interface of the severely imbalanced social, economic and political power
equations in caste and patriarchy impacts Dalit women uniquely, very distinct from the

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experience of other women and even Dalit men. These forces combine to expose them to
increased physical and sexual violence and increased exploitation of their labor. All these
combined together keep Dalit women from having access and control over assets and
resources. It does not recognize their social and economic contribution. It limits their
choices and opportunities, placing them on the bottom rung in all development indicators.
This process of exclusion and discrimination inculcates the disrespect and indignity of
Dalit women at the hands of all men and also of non-Dalit women.
In recent years a sea of change has taken place and Dalit women have started asserting
for their rightful place in Indian society. The role played by thousands of Dalit women in
running the panchayats across the country has turned out to be an amazing success story
of political awareness and mobilization beyond any conceivable imagination. It has dealt
a striking blow to the caste system and the values of patriarchy. In this process of being
empowered they have paid heavy prices too, but their resilience is tremendous and quite
laudable. At every level of the caste hierarchy and patriarchal system, the Dalit Women’s
movement is quite active in mobilizing the unheard voices and in turning them into a
powerful agent of change. NCDHR—via projects and platforms such as AIDMAM and
DWAJ—has joined in and seeks to advance the vital concerns of this Movement for Dalit
Women’s Human Rights.

AIDMAM – All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch (All India Dalit
Women’s Rights Platform)

The All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch (AIDMAM) is a common platform for Dalit
women committed to challenging the nexus of patriarchy, caste, age-old social customs
and traditions, class oppression, exploitation and, most of all, marginalization of Dalit
women in the family, community, and nation they live in. AIDMAM is part of
NCDHR’s campaign for Dalit Women’s Rights and has the membership and solidarity of
non-Dalit Women, Dalit Men, social activists and other human rights defenders
committed to the cause of protecting and promoting the rights of Dalit Women under the
leadership of Dalit Women. AIDMAM’s objective is to hold the state accountable for its
failure to prevent violence against Dalit women and to take up advocacy at the state,
national and international levels.

DWAJ – Dalit Women’s Access to Justice and Dignity

Dalit Women Access to Justice and Dignity (DWAJ) is a project of UNDP and

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Department of Justice, Govt. of India under the Strengthened Access to Justice in India
(SAJI) program. The project was initiated with vision that Dalit women can and should
have equitable and effective access to justice delivery mechanisms to protect themselves
from violence, exploitation and atrocities and to live with dignity. Currently the DWAJ
project, which is run with the support of NCDHR and other organizations, concentrates
on two districts in the each of the states of Andhra Pradesh (Ranga Reddy and East
Godavari) and Rajasthan (Jaipur and Pali).
Specific Objectives of DWAJ:
• To capacitate 80 Dalit Women to access the Criminal Justice System. These eighty (80)
women are Panchayat leaders/NGO volunteers/lawyers/doctors/law students/ Dalit and
Women leaders and are to be capacitated on: (1) relevant laws and justice delivery
systems; (2) how to conduct fact-findings; and (3) providing support to victims/survivors,
filing cases, and doing case follow-ups.
• To improve the implementation of mechanisms in favor of women from poor and
vulnerable backgrounds.
• To initiate a dialogue and build an interface between victim/survivors and duty bearers
for better implementation of the rule of law.
The DWAJ project was initiated in November 2006 and works to identify cases related
to violence against Dalit women, identify human rights defenders, organize and conduct
training for HR defenders, conduct fact finding, organize round table conferences with
various law enforcement agencies/commissions, and sensitize and bring pressure on the
Police, Revenue and Judicial systems to address the issues, access penal and pecuniary
justice to the victims/survivors.

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