Who we are

The group Respect was founded in the context of a Europe-wide network which was set up in 1998 with the aim of organising migrant women in paid domestic work and defending their rights – regardless of their residence status. In Berlin, Respect is a voluntary association of women of different backgrounds. We address the issue of working conditions in private households and remind the German public that labour and human rights apply regardless of residence status. Our demandsMany women without legal residence status work in private households. In contrast to other EU countries, in Germany they have hardly any chance of legalising their work and residence. The public is little interested in working conditions and refuses to recognise the social relevance of housework and those who do it. Instead, the focus is on “illegality”. We therefore demand:

•     that domestic work is recognized as socially significant work
•     that the rights of those who perform domestic tasks can be recognised and enforced without the fear of then being expelled from Germany
•     that all people in Germany have access to health care and education
•     that foreign educational qualifications are recognised, so that migrant women are not confined to doing domestic work