An ILO study found that the highest deficits in social security coverage are concentrated in developing countries.
However, the phenomenon persists in industrialized nations. In Italy, for instance, some 60 percent of domestic workers are not registered in the systems of social security or don't make any contribution to it.
Globally, this kind of work occupies some 11.5 million immigrants, who "usually face even greater discrimination," says the study.
"There is no justification for this group to remain excluded from social security, which is a human right of all," added the UN body.
When the domestic workers get old or suffer injuries, "they are laid off without pension or support according to their income. This can and must be corrected," said the Director of the Department of Social Protection of ILO, Isabel Ortiz.
This mainly ladies' labor force (some 80 percent) is "very exposed to discrimination and suffer social and economic vulnerability," stressed Ortiz.
According to ILO, this is a sector difficult to cover, as the work is done inside private homes, there is high personnel rotation, frequent payment in kind, irregular salaries and lack of formal contracts of employment.
In the opinion of Philippe Marcadent, who is also an ILO specialist, "the policies to extend social protection to the domestic workers are fundamental elements in the struggle against poverty and for gender equality."
There is currently no single model for these types of benefits, but establishing their compulsory nature would be crucial, said Fabio Duran-Valverde, ILO's chief economist.
The strategies should also include fiscal incentives, registration plans, raising awareness drives oriented to domestic workers and their employers, as well as service check systems, among others, he said.
According to ILO, the social security systems should include the domestic workers, even in low and middle-income countries, as shown by the experiences of Mali, Senegal and Vietnam.
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