A report published in March 2022 revealed that in Jharkhand, the salary of 70 per cent of domestic workers was less than Rs 3000.
These days, our domestic workers do not get respect but humiliation. In a society that calls itself an elite class, domestic workers are not even considered human, they are treated like animals.
Recently, an incident came to light in Ranchi where a 29-year-old tribal woman was held hostage for 8 years in a house in a high-profile area of Ranchi.
The victim, who was admitted to RIIMS in Ranchi, has been identified as Sunita. When the police rescued her, the story of the cruelty that Sunita narrated was heart-wrenching. In her statement, Sunita expressed that she was imprisoned for eight years, and was not given proper food. She was beaten with rods and burnt with a hot pan.
In addition, her teeth were broken with rods. If she asked to go home, she was thrashed and abused. Sunita hasn't seen sunlight for years as she was held captive.
Any civilized human being would be ashamed to be a part of a society in which domestic helps are not even considered human beings. In this case, the accused is Seema Patra, a BJP leader and wife of the ex-IAS officer Maheshwar Patra. Surprisingly, the BJP had also made Seema Patra the state convener of the Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao campaign.
After the incident came to light, BJP expelled her from the party and the police arrested her. A case has been registered against Patra under different sections of the SC/ST Act.
In another such case, a man in Guugram slapped a security guard because he got stuck in a lift. A video of the incident went viral on social media.
In this CCTV footage, two guards were seen running near the lift. When the lift opens, the person started slapping the guard. The man also beat the other guard standing behind.
Like rape or murder, there is also a psychology of atrocity on domestic workers. The reason behind this is Zamindari thinking which is still alive in our society.
There are many conditions for being a domestic help in our society, such as s/he should not have a personal life, no friendship, no leave, just serve employers.
Wealthy people can afford to keep domestic help in America and Europe. But in our country, it is not a luxury to have a servant because even a person earning Rs 20,000 can consider himself a master by spending Rs 1,000.
According to a survey conducted in March this year, in Jharkhand, the salary of 70 per cent of domestic servants is less than Rs 3000, while only 10 per cent have more than Rs 5,000.
22 per cent of domestic workers reported that they were subjected to discrimination, such as giving water in a separate glass, not being allowed to sit on a chair and not allowing them to use the bathroom. 33 per cent said they suffered humiliation and physical violence.
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 "DNA Special: The plight of domestic workers in India")
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