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“Slavery Exists in Households
Around the World” Says
UN Expert on Contemporary
Forms of Slavery
GENEVA (1 December 2009) – “Domestic workers who are overworked, underpaid and subject to abuse — whether physical, emotional or sexual in nature — are effectively being treated as slaves. This form of slavery takes place in households all across the world,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, Ms. Gulnara Shahinian, on the occasion of the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery.
“Domestic
servitude or slavery is a situation when a vulnerable individual is forced, by
physical and/or moral coercion, to work without any real financial reward, is
deprived of his or her liberty, and is in a situation which is contrary to
human dignity,” Ms. Shahinian said, adding that “domestic workers are
especially vulnerable to this form of forced labor because of the unprotected
nature of their work and the highly personalized relationship between the
worker and their employer.”
There
have been numerous reports by the UN, NGOs and others on the abusive and
unprotected working conditions of domestic workers around the world.
“Domestic workers are beaten, raped, forced into confinement, denied food and
contact with others. Despite working in these inhumane conditions, they are
often trapped due to lack of information or opportunity to seek help, as well
as by financial pressures and debts that make them afraid to lose their
employment,” the Special Rapporteur said.
Boys
and girls in domestic service are often labeled as trainees with a view to
avoiding provisions prohibiting child labour. Such children are particularly at
risk due to their young age, isolation and separation from their families and
peers, making them totally dependent on their employers.
Migrant
domestic workers are especially vulnerable because of their insecure legal
status in the country in which they work. “Domestic service is used as a cover
mainly to lure women and girls into employment abroad, while deceiving them
about the real nature of their work,” Ms. Shahinian said. “For many, seeking
employment away from home, sometimes across borders, is the only means to
escape poverty. Policies linking workers’ immigration status to individual
employers, excessive recruitment fees, language barriers, and confiscation of
passports expose migrant domestic workers to more human rights abuses.”
The
Special Rapporteur urged states to sign and ratify international instruments
related to the rights of migrant workers and the fight against child labour.
“Despite the fact that domestic servitude takes place in private households,
Governments have the duty to protect individuals from all type of human rights
violations, including this form of slavery which affect predominately women and
girls.”
In
May 2008, the Human Rights Council appointed Ms. Gulnara Shahinian as the first
Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, its causes and
consequences. Ms. Shahinian is a lawyer and has extensive experience working as
an expert consultant for various UN, EU, Council of Europe, OSCE and government
bodies on children's rights, gender, migration and trafficking. She is also a
former trustee of the UN Voluntary Trust Fund on Contemporary Forms of Slavery.
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