UNDERSTANDING SEWA MOVEMENT IN KERALA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO WOMEN DOMESTIC WORKERS OF SEWA IN KERALA

Abstract

The Self-Employed Women’s Association is almost globally acclaimed for its work in organizing women in India’s unorganised sector. Women get exploited in several ways in their unorganised work environment. In 1972 the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in India was formed by Ela Bhat in Gujarat. SEWA is a trade union and movement for women in the informal economy. It has succeeded in empowering thousands of women in the unorganised sector. SEWA has 16 state wings all around the country, in Kerala SEWA has a state wing. They are working in Kerala since 1983. They try to work among the women workers in unorganised sector. SEWA Kerala includes 5 sectors of women workers in the unorganised sector they are domestic workers, reed workers, fish vendors, street vendors and home based workers. Domestic sector is one of the working sectors of SEWA in Kerala. SMSS is the project for organizing women domestic workers under the SEWA movement in Kerala.
Keywords:  SEWA, Domestic workers, SMSS, Trade union, Women’s movement