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THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS to step in to prevent more au pairs from being abused.
That’s according to the Migrant Rights Centre, which says that a new report echoes findings of similar Irish studies when it comes to the exploitation of these domestic workers.
The UK research is in an ESRC-funded report called ‘Au pairing after the au pair scheme?’, which found underpayment and some exploitation of au pairs in the UK.
The two-year research project found that the average au pair in the UK works up to 38 hours a week, although some are expected to work for up to 70 hours.
It said that 14% of au pairs do not receive the £85 a week that’s recommended by the British Au Pairs Agencies Association. The report said:
Many families feel that hosting an au pair was the only way they could meet their childcare needs. This could make them resentful or even exploitative hosts.
It also says:
The government needs to provide support for au pairs and a means of redress for those who are ill-treated.
Au pairs in Ireland
Experts from Migrant Rights Centre Ireland are now calling for urgent action by the Department of Jobs to prevent further abuse of au pairs in Ireland.
MRCI said that Irish research showed that au pairs provide full-time and flexible childcare in homes across the country “for a fraction of minimum wage, with the average au pair being paid just €100 for at least 40 hours of childcare and domestic duties per week”.
There are an estimated 10,000 au pair placements every year in Ireland. As workers, all au pairs are covered by employment law, including minimum wage legislation. The MRCI says that its research shows that most experience poor working conditions, long hours and severe underpayment.
MRCI’s Aoife Smith said that au pairs can be used by families as “cheap childcare”.
The Government needs to take a very clear line on this: we have to enforce employment legislation which should protect vulnerable workers like au pairs. Increasing numbers of families are relying on au pairs; without urgent action, problems will continue to escalate and we’ll see greater and more severe exploitation. Families must be made aware of their responsibilities, and au pairs must know their rights.
Jane Xavier of the Au Pair Rights Association Ireland said: “The voice of the au pair is seldom heard; many au pairs are isolated and alone in private homes, leaving them extremely vulnerable to exploitation.”
“Families need to know that au pairs are workers, and like any other workers we have the right to fair pay and decent working conditions. Au pairs can still be a smart and cost-effective choice for parents, but cheap childcare should not be at the expense of workers’ basic rights.”
MRCI’s 2012 study showed that 42% of au pairs surveyed received no written contract; 36% reported exploitation; 15% had to be on call at night and 13% reported not being free to leave the house after duties were done.
The government ratified the Domestic Workers Convention earlier this summer.
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I listened to an American having a pint down my local last year rabbiting on about how good Team USA was at bringing democracy and freedom to I-rack and the rest of the world but when he heard about the proposed introduction of gay marriage here he nearly had a fit! Turns out that freedom only extends to people so long as they go by the Bible and that gay people shouldn’t be allowed to get married and be as miserable as straight people because God says so.
As the conversation went on it turned out that he loved the institution of marriage so much that he was on his third marriage! And he was a Creationist. Says it all.
How many did he have to drink? … quite a few I’d say to spout out that crap!
He started from the get go! First he wanted to know why weren’t our police armed, then why were our cars and roads so small. By the second Jameson we got the whole bringing peace and democracy “we woulda sorted out NI” in 6 months crap. So one of the lads lobbed in gay marriage and that’s when things got funny. He started quoting scripture and banging on about all sorts of shite. When he mentioned Sodom and Gommorah I jumped in seeing as I knew the story of it (and I had the Bible on my phone for just such an occasion) so he retreated fairly quickly.
When he told us that he was a Creationist we just gave up! What scares me though is that I think about 50% of Americans believe in this theology and at the same time control a huge part of the Government. Christian fundamentalists are as bad as Muslim fundamentalists.
Unfortunately, it was only afterwards that I remembered that I should have mentioned that we had a fantastic civil ceremony for a gay couple only the previous year in the same venue!
I am from boston & I travel a lot. These kind of yanks seem grossly over represented out in the world. It is tough hearing these FOX fans unloading their drivel, esp with the creationism, climate change denial & virulent racism, everywhere & always…..I guess if Frank here was, say your cousin , you might feel the shame….
How about we just call it Marriage Equality.
Some would call it marriage of sodomy
Lesbians wouldn’t
Frank, sodomy has a much wider definition than just what you think it is.
@ frank
there is nothing wrong with “sodomy” … without being too explicit, it is simply a different part of the body you put it into
Please expand big willy!
That’s what he said last night!
Frank, sometimes I think you are no different then the extremists in the Middle East that you rail against.
They are not for gay marriage either.
Declan Noonan_ Two things I want to make clear with you.
ISIS has DOUBLED in size since US intervention last August, no doubt this would have happened if the Iranian and Syrian Government were allowed fight them. It says everything about the ISIS agenda taking out the Syrian Government.
Secondly I am HIV+ so I have been there and done it.
Frank do you believe hiv causes aids? You seem to accept every other conspiracy theory.
Are you saying you’re a homosexual frank? (i’m assuming your ignorant enough to believe only gays get aids.)
Luke Duffy _ Yes i would be considered out among family, friends and GLBT circles, however from reading the Bible and accepting it as the word of God I would also accept the continuous practice of it as being sinful according to Romans 1 vs 26_27.
I also see it now in your face and shoved down your throat by western society. The turning point for me came about when radical GLBT groupes deliberatey started targeting Christian owned businesses and throwing them under the bus. I call it GLBT fascism and it will be something that will dramatically increase if this thing is passed in Ireland.
Praise Hope_ Since becoming HIV+ I have read up extensively on the subject and yes i do believe that there is something very sinister about HIV / AIDS. I accept it as a population control bio weapon developed to cull African nations. It is also a cash earner for big pharma producing antivirals. They would obviously lose out if a cure was developed.
The numbers alone speak for themselves.
A=1 B=2 C=3 D=4 E=5 F=6 G=7 H=8 I=9 J=10 K=11 L=12 M=13 N=14 O=15 P=16 Q=17 R=18 S=19 T=20 U=21 V=22 W=23 X=24 Y=25 Z=26
AIDS = 33, HIV = 39 (13+13+13), ARC = 22 (Aids related Complex)
Self hate is so unbecoming but it’s very leftwing and very out of date.
Frank, I’m surprised you don’t blame Obama for your hiv status? Or maybe Reagan?
Declan Noonan_There was only one person to blame and that is my self.
I was responsible for my own actions.
Irrespective of who developed it I could have avoided it.
Good,time we left medieval thinking behind.
Which is only right.
As a gay person, you are a first class citizen in the state you live in, then you go up the road to another state and you are back to being second class again
Great news!! Now I could be a millionaire in all 50 states, as according to the rare but bilious homophobic comments on this site, gay marriage is only being legalised in the US because the ‘pink’ dollar is worth millions. Anyone know if Bank of Ireland does the gay exchange rate on the dollar?
But then all straight marriages will become instantly meaningless and people will start marrying their pets, no?
Marriage will take on more worth as its a available to everyone. I think we are some way from people wanting to Mary their pets.
Yes Martin that’s what will happen + you’ll be able to marry your sister if you want and the sky will fall down.
Martin Byrne_That would only happen if Barack Obama allows it.
NO, it is simply widening out the availability of marriage to everyone and not restricting it to heterosexuals.
Marriage is a statement to the world that you want to stay with that person for the rest of you lives.
Why cant gay people have that same opportunity as well
My wife has seven cats to choose from. Three male and four female. Getting worried.
My wife has only one pussy!
Soon even trolls will be allowed to marry.
I may be flying a kite here, but it seems arguable that there’s an outside chance that Martin may possibly have been trying to be slightly sarcastic.
I am lookin forward to marrying my toaster.
I think (hope) Martin was just being sarcastic, as one of the arguments of the haters usually is, that with marriage equality people might want to marry a horse or donkeys and the suchlike
Good to see that everyone finally deserves the right to be miserable
Say what you want about the US but here they are leading the way again. In 10 years Cannabis may be legal in all 59 states clearing time for police to fight real crime.
All 59 states?
Good news about weed & the extra states, too! I hope the f they are warm.
Typo….
I think weed will be full legal in the formerly union states, long time away in Dixie. There are many methods for alleviating suffering and creating more just polities. Don’t expect to see them in states that tolerate infant mortality 2x and almost 3x Ireland’s then try and block national health. This is not an issue, like gay marriage, that will be settled in the Supreme Court. But when more than 50% of the us is full legal there will be huge pressure on other countries cowardly pols to match it or kill the young tourist buck. Money, not freedom, will settle this issue…sadly, I think. A reeferendum is the way to leave the boys drinking themselves into a stupor in the Dail bar off the hook for making a controversial decision. The Germans might not like it, though..
To play Devils Advocate.. It’s not really marriage equality as marriage will still be unavailable to cetain relationships.. Those who are related and those who wish to marry more than one person.. These People might also argue that they’re consenting adults who want their relationship recognised. If Marriage is extended to same sex couples what is the logic in restricting it in the above scenarios?
You know nothing Jon Snow
The same question was asked when state bans on interracial marriage was being overturned. But 60 or so years later, Americans still can’t marry their close relatives or groups of people. While we are talking about marriage, these are different circumstances and each case needs to be made on its own merits.
In Ireland, we’ve changed the rules around marriage a number of times, most recently with the divorce referendum. At the time of the referendum, there were already laws around separation, maintenance and support, access to children and so on. The ultimate outcome of the referendum was to allow people to remarry. To copy your question, if marriage is extended to people who were previously married, what is the logic in restricting it for other groups of people?
Brian.
Your reply is a bit of a misdirection. Let me paraphrase Jon Snows question:
If marriage is no longer about family ties and procreation but just two people living together for mutual support and pleasure how can it be denied to any other persons who want to live together in some pleasurable way, whether it be incestuous, paedophilic or bigamy.
Jim, people already marry for a wide range of reasons, including “just” for mutual support and pleasure. Allowing gay couples to marry doesn’t mean marriage is no longer about something, it just means that gay couples can marry.
To be fair Jim, I have not heard anyone calling for polygamy. Incest and pedophilia are illegal. Some countries I have looked at have gay marriage for over 10 years and none have polygamy, incest or people marrying children.
Fair play to ya Praise!
Im gonna marry my penis
Bet it will divorce you in 6 months!
That would be called marriage of Palm.
OMG, this is FABolous news, partay in the George tonight.
…bigots not invited
Uptight gay people with a chip on their shoulder also not invited.
I happened to be married …
to a woman!
So was Oscar Wilde..
Are the drinks on you? Am still a bit broke after Christmas :P
Michigan has banned gay marriage? So it’s not just confined to the red states, that’s disturbing.
I don’t know the place at all but Michelle Bachman, notorious loon, was 1 of their congress persons. Fairly diverse place as they also came through for Obama.
Yeah, sorry I really don’t know out there. She was from Minnesota…
Yeah, I was just about to say that. Minnesota is fairly red and Bachmann is a complete tool. Tea Party hack, I detest the like.
Michigan has been solid blue for ages on the national stage. It’s been blue every presidential election since 1988 and it has two Democratic senators. At the moment the Congressional delegation is majority red as is the governors mansion, most of this happened during the wave election. But overall, the state historically votes along Democrat lines. I was surprised to see they’re on the list.
And as the joke goes now they can be miserable like the rest of us. Sorry dear.
Im gonna marry my p*nis
Another loveless marriage!
You’ve said this twice. I’m starting to thing that there is no penis, and you need help. Be strong Niall.
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