Slavery resources

Migrant domestic workers in the UK, the majority of whom are women that live in their employer’s household, continue to suffer from widespread abuse and exploitation, including situations of trafficking and modern slavery

This is a joint submission by Anti-Slavery International, Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX), Kalayaan, Kanlungan Filipino Consortium, and the Voice of Domestic Workers. The submission focuses on abuse and exploitation, including trafficking and modern slavery, of migrant domestic workers in the UK.

The Overseas Domestic Worker visa increases vulnerability to exploitation because it restricts migrant domestic workers to a non-renewable six-month visa, against the recommendations of an independent review commissioned by the Government itself3. The inability to renew the visa renders the right to change employer inaccessible in practice and leaves migrant domestic workers to face abuse and exploitation with no escape route. It also obstructs access to justice and remedy when abuse occurs. New protections for migrant domestic workers announced by the Government in 2016 have either been dropped altogether or are not being implemented in practice.

Rights Lab, University of Nottingham, Anti-Slavery International.

Facing high population growth and extreme poverty, domestic work in Tanzania offers the opportunity for children with little education to enter paid employment. This report describes an evaluation and analysis of the impact of the drafting, and prospective adoption, of local bylaws designed to protect the rights of such Child Domestic Workers (CDWs) in the districts of Ilemela and Nyamagana in the Mwanza region of Tanzania.

Anti-Slavery International, Jan Jagriti Jendra, The National Domestic Workers’ Movement, and Volunteers for Social Justice.

This submission to the Universal Periodic Review of India, focuses on slavery practices in India. These include bonded labour, which occurs across a variety of sectors; trafficking in persons within Indian borders; and the widespread abuse and exploitation of women working as domestic workers, including trafficking of children for domestic servitude. The submission also focuses on cases of trafficking and forced labour of workers migrating internationally. It is based on information gathered through a number of different projects in India by the above named organisations.

2016 Submission on bonded labour, trafficking and domestic work in India:

UN’s Universal Periodic Review submission on bonded labour, trafficking and domestic work in India, 2016. The submission by Anti-Slavery International, Jan Jagriti Jendra, The National Domestic Workers’ Movement, and Volunteers for Social Justice.

In March 2015 the Minister for Modern Slavery, Karen Bradley, tasked James Ewins QC to undertake an independent review of the Overseas Domestic Worker (ODW) visa. The review includes consideration of:

• Whether the arrangements for issuing ODW Visas are effective in protecting potential victims from abuse
• Whether there is any evidence that the terms of the Visa, including the link to the specified employer, have led to the trafficking or slavery of domestic workers
• Whether the policies or processes for (i) identifying and (ii) providing support to victims of modern slavery amongst those who entered the country on an ODW visa are effective
• Whether the policies and processes for pursuing those accused of perpetrating modern slavery offences against those on an Overseas Domestic Workers Visa are effective
• The need to maintain the integrity of the immigration system.

Audrey Guichon, Anti-Slavery International.

New research looking at the vulnerabilities to widespread abuse of Nepalese migrant domestic workers in Lebanon rooted directly in the systems in place in both home and destination countries. It also looks at the work Anti-Slavery and its partners have done to reduce these vulnerabilities and the first signs of change.

Anti-Slavery International.

This report examines Anti-Slavery International’s project aimed at improving lives of child domestic workers by the realisation of a small grant scheme (SGS). This fresh approach for Anti-Slavery International and its partners in Costa Rica, India, Peru, Philippines, Tanzania and Togo has seen 52 fledgling local groups many led by child domestic workers themselves – provided with funds to support child domestic workers and influence policies and practices towards them across 9 countries. Closely monitored and mentored by project partners since 2009, these local groups have directly assisted thousands of child domestic workers and have changed the attitudes of local and national duty bearers to improve the lives of many more.

Anti-Slavery International. 

This report summarizes Anti-Slavery International’s project run in six countries aimed at improving lives of child domestic workers by involving them in advocacy activities. This fresh approach for Anti-Slavery International and its partners in Costa Rica, India, Peru, Philippines, Tanzania and Togo has seen child domestic workers develop their own advocacy projects and increased the opportunities of children to be empowered to actively claim their rights with decision-makers.

Based on interviews with around 3,000 children the report is a study into the psychosocial wellbeing of child domestic workers across six countries in three continents (Peru, Costa Rica, Togo, Tanzania, India and Philippines). This report makes an important contribution to our understanding of child domestic work and provides important indicators for the circumstances that affect these child workers as well as the aspects of their lives that contribute to their wellbeing in a positive way.