Sierra Leone strengthens protections and decent work for domestic workers

Government, workers, employers, and development partners strengthen collaboration to transform Convention 189 commitments into better protection, dignity, and decent working conditions for domestic workers.

12 August 2026

Freetown, Sierra Leone - Sierra Leone is advancing efforts to improve the lives and working conditions of domestic workers, including migrant domestic workers, through stronger national coordination and closer collaboration among government, workers' and employers' organizations and development partners.

Supported by the International Labour Organization (ILO) through the FMM West Africa II project, funded by the European Union, the initiative builds on Sierra Leone's ratification of the ILO Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189), alongside the Employment Act 2023, the Overseas Employment and Migrant Workers Act 2023 and the Tripartite Action Plan for 2026-2028. These measures provide an increasingly solid foundation for translating international labour standards into practical protections for domestic workers.

A major step forward was the establishment of a National Steering Committee on Convention No. 189, helping lay the foundation for stronger contracts, better social protection, and improved access to remedies for thousands of domestic workers. The tripartite-plus mechanism brings government, employers, and workers together to coordinate implementation, strengthen social dialogue, improve monitoring and accountability, and promote greater institutional cooperation and data sharing.

The Committee will accelerate reforms that improve workers' daily lives by building on recent legislative advances and strengthening protections for domestic workers, including by expanding social protection, promoting standard employment contracts, improving the regulation of recruitment agencies, raising-awareness and strengthening implementation monitoring. This engagement brought together ILO and tripartite-plus partners in Freetown on 15-16 July 2026 to strengthen collaboration and advance the effective implementation of Convention No. 189.

The Government's message emphasized the importance of strengthening labour protection and enforcement so domestic workers can benefit more effectively from national laws and international labour standards. Government technical discussions also highlighted opportunities to improve occupational safety and health through tailored guidelines, training, stronger enforcement, awareness raising and expanded social protection.

Workers' organizations, including the Sierra Leone Labour Congress and Sierra Leone Domestic Workers Union, brought the worker perspective to the discussions. Their participation underscored the importance of reaching workers, strengthening representation, raising awareness of rights, and ensuring that domestic workers have accessible channels through which they can report violations and seek support. The training identified workers' organizations as essential partners in effective labour inspection and compliance.

Employers' representatives contributed to the shared objective of improving compliance and promoting responsible employment practices. The discussions emphasized employers' role in providing clear employment arrangements, respecting workers' rights, and understanding their obligations under national legislation and Convention No. 189. Awareness among employers is particularly important because limited knowledge of legal obligations remains a challenge.

The ILO's message focused on moving from commitment to measurable improvements. The ILO emphasized that stronger collaboration between labour inspectors and workers' organizations will drive the effective implementation of Convention No. 189 and deliver tangible improvements for domestic workers, including migrant domestic workers. The engagement also recognized the support of the European Union and the ECOWAS Commission, for supporting a shared vision of decent work and social justice and for helping create space for stakeholders to work together and advance implementation.

For thousands of domestic workers, these reforms represent more than legal changes. They provide domestic workers with greater security, recognition, and confidence that stakeholders will respect and protect their rights. The engagement enabled labour inspectors and workers' representatives to identify and examine practical solutions to challenges such as informal employment, limited access to private households, weak complaint mechanisms, and workers' reluctance to report abuse. Participants explored complementary approaches, including risk-based inspections, confidential complaints systems, mediation, awareness campaigns, and union monitoring.

The initiative places domestic workers at the centre of change. Stronger contracts, safer workplaces, better access to social protection, improved complaint mechanisms and greater awareness of rights can reduce vulnerability while increasing dignity and security at work. Through sustained partnership and social dialogue, Sierra Leone is moving from ratification towards implementation-helping ensure that every domestic worker receive recognition, protection and able to enjoy decent work.