The Forum for Social Studies (FSS) has issued an urgent call for the ratification of an independent legal framework to govern the domestic work sector, following a comprehensive study on the rights violations and harsh working conditions faced by female domestic workers in Ethiopia.
The policy document, titled “The Situation of Female Domestic Workers in Ethiopia: Current Realities, Perspectives, and Policy Directions,” released at the end of 2025, strongly criticizes the fact that while the sector employs thousands of women, it remains outside the protection of the country’s labor laws.
The study points out that despite the existing Labor and Social Affairs Proclamation No. 1156/2011 (and the previous Proclamation No. 377/1996), contracts for private domestic services are explicitly excluded from these protections.
This exclusion has left millions of workers vulnerable to severe exploitation without any legal shield.
Specifically, while Article 3(3)(c) of Proclamation No. 1156/2011 grants the Council of Ministers the authority to issue a regulation governing the working conditions of domestic workers, no such regulation has been enacted to date. This lack of legal standing remains a major obstacle to the protection of workers’ rights.
Research conducted in Addis Ababa and Hawassa reveals that the majority of domestic workers begin their employment during adolescence.
To address this gap, the Ministry of Labor and Skills announced that it has completed preliminary preparations to establish a structure that will legally bind employment contracts for domestic workers, both domestically and for overseas employment.
In its most recent discussion, the Forum for Social Studies (FSS) reiterated its call for the government to urgently issue a regulation that aligns with the standards set by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
