Protecting migrant domestic workers in the UK

Abstract

Each year, some 20,000 foreign domestic workers come to the UK to undertake work within a private household, ranging from housekeeping to childcare. Though domestic work is often seen as a route out of poverty, with domestic workers sending remittances back to families in their country of origin, structural barriers relating to migration and labour market policies create vulnerabilities for this hidden workforce. This paper explores the situation of migrant domestic workers in the UK, and gives an overview of a campaign in which Oxfam worked with partners to overcome a policy change that would have put migrant domestic workers at even greater risk.

Keywords:

• migrant domestic worker
• immigration
• Domestic Worker Visa

Notes

1. The Domestic Worker Visa is the immigration route by which domestic workers come to the UK.

2. This figure may well be an under-estimate in Kalayaan staff's view, as workers are likely to be embarrassed or ashamed to talk about subjects like this until a relationship of trust has developed, beyond the level between them and Kalayaan staff at the time of the research.