‘Unclean’ cleaners of Islamabad

Asma Kundi

ISLAMABAD: Nida, 42, a Christian housemaid, rang the doorbell of a nearby house, where she worked as a cleaner and after the door opened, she asked the house lady if she could use their toilet.

The lady inquired why she needed her washroom as she worked for neighbors and could use their washroom as well. The answer shocked her that she was not allowed to use the washroom, which she was supposed to clean every day. Not even in case of an emergency.

Frazana Begum is a resident of G-8 sector Islamabad. Talking to ThePenPK.com, she said, “I am amazed at the behavior of people that if they have such biases about the Christian women then why they are hiring them for household chores. This is a violation of basic human rights that they are not allowed to use toilets.”

Kiran, who is another Christian housemaid, got divorced as her husband was a drug addict and used to beat her for money. She left her hometown at Sahiwal and moved to Islamabad along with her four children and a widowed mother. Now both, the mother and daughter, work as housemaids for cleaning and washing.

Kiran shared her experience that she works in five different houses to clean and wash dishes and clothes. She said, “We face very humiliating behavior of people we work for. We are not allowed to drink water even from their kitchen tabs. Once I was drinking water from the kitchen tab with the help of my hands, the house lady saw me and warned me if I did the same again, she would fire me.” She asked Kiran if she needs water she can drink from the terrace tab but not from the kitchen. Notwithstanding Kiran used to wash their dishes in the kitchen.

Interviews with various Christian women show that these women are treated very humiliatingly and are not allowed to touch the utensils in the kitchen. Few people keep their utensils separate for their use like glass or cups etc. They clean toilets but are not allowed to use the same and to keep a check on them, they are asked to clean toilets while keeping the door open.

The interviews unveiled many depressing truths about our society and the unheard saga of discrimination these women face on daily basis. In many cases, male members of the house harass the girls whenever they get an opportunity. On the other hand, they are under continuous threat of being accused of theft, if anything is misplaced from the house.

Many maids shared their stories with the hope that their stories may melt the hearts of people and help in changing social behaviors towards them.

Nargis, yet another maid, who lives in kachi-abadi of G8 with her husband and the only son, told this scribe that her husband was living in Islamabad for his job as a cleaner in the secretariat. “When my son turned four, I asked my husband to take me with him to Islamabad from our hometown Faisalabad where I was living in a joint family with my in-laws. I took this decision for the future of my son because I want him to get a good education from institutes in Islamabad.”

Talking about her working experience as a housemaid, she said, “I work in various houses from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. mainly as a cleaner. I get tired and hungry but I and many others like me don’t get food to eat. Yes, sometimes we are given the leftover food but in polythene bags to take home but not allowed to eat over there.”

She admitted that there is a lady who is kind enough to let her eat in her house and whenever Nargis is extremely hungry, she visits her house for food. In Islamabad, most Christian men are associated with sewage and gutter unclogging, in the community most women are housemaids. They are not treated well rather treated as ‘impure/unclean’ human beings. These ladies are not allowed to work as a cook, but they are appointed only for cleaning the washing.

Christianity is the third largest religion in Pakistan, making up about 1.27% of the population according to the 2017 Census. They are the largest in number among the minority groups residing in Pakistan. Although there are other minorities, most poverty-stricken and needy women and girls in Christianity serve as house helpers.

Executive Director, Youth Development Association, Rubina Bhatti, told ThePen.PK that her organization works with the Christian community and provides work skills to live a respectable life. Talking about the issue, she said that she personally knew a girl who graduated but due to lack of acceptance in the job market, she was compelled to work as a housemaid. “I observed while working in the field that these women are a much-deprived segment of the society. They leave their kids unattended behind for work. No one is there to feed them and when these women come back in the evening, they put meals on their tables,” Rubina said.

She elaborated that there is no legal protection for the house maids and especially Christian maids who face discrimination as compared to Muslim maids. They are paid as low as 2000 rupees per chore on a monthly basis.

Rubina shared her personal experience when she was visiting a friend and she saw her friend shouting at her Christian maid for washing her hands with her soap after cleaning her bathroom. She warned the maid not to repeat this again and asked her to take that soap with her now.

She suggested that the government should provide sources of employment to poor women so they would not work as maids and earn a livelihood through other means. “Community activists, law enforcement agencies, and the collaboration of local, provincial, and federal governments should take action against this act. Minority females need to be protected in Pakistan,” she said.