The Ministry of Labour has said it will consider the Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association (IDEA)’s request to ratify an International Labour Organization convention on domestic workers’ rights.

In a letter, Minister Ith Sam Heng said he would “study IDEA’s suggestion” to ratify the convention.

“We work to protect domestic workers, and we have sent many letters to the ministry since 2014, but we never got any response before now,” IDEA president Vorn Pov said yesterday.

Vun Somphors, a representative of the Cambodian Domestic Worker Network, said domestic workers have fewer rights than other workers.

“Domestic workers work longer hours, their wages are lower, and there are no laws to protect them from being exploited,” she said.

Sam Van, a domestic worker in Phnom Penh, said: “We cannot demand better wages because we live in the owner’s house. We have to obey them.”