Reports

“Working Like a Robot”

Abuse of Tanzanian Domestic Workers in Oman and the United Arab Emirates

This report documents how the Tanzanian, Omani, and UAE governments fail to protect Tanzanian migrant domestic workers. Oman and the UAE’s kafala – visa-sponsorship – rules tie workers to their employers, and the lack of labor law protections leaves workers exposed to a wide range of abuse. Gaps in Tanzania’s laws and policies on recruitment and migration leave Tanzanian women exposed at the outset to abuse and fail to provide adequate assistance for exploited workers.

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  • “I Was Sold”

    Abuse and Exploitation of Migrant Domestic Workers in Oman

    This report documents how Oman’s kafala(sponsorship) immigrant labor system and lack of labor law protections leaves migrant domestic workers exposed to abuse and exploitation by employers, whose consent they need to change jobs.

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    cover image for Oman Report

  • "I Already Bought You"

    Abuse and Exploitation of Female Migrant Domestic Workers in the United Arab Emirates

    This 79-page report documents how the UAE’s visa sponsorship system, known as kafala, and the lack of labor law protections leave migrant domestic workers exposed to abuse.

  • Hidden Away

    Abuses against Migrant Domestic Workers in the UK

    The 58-page report documents the confiscation of passports, confinement to the home, physical and psychological abuse, extremely long working hours with no rest days, and very low wages or non-payment of wages.

  • Claiming Rights

    Domestic Workers’ Movements and Global Advances for Labor Reform

    This 33-page report, released by IDWN, the ITUC, and Human Rights Watch, charts ratification of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Domestic Workers Convention, national labor law reforms, and the growing influence of emerging domestic workers’ rights movements.

  • Lonely Servitude

    Child Domestic Labor in Morocco

    ‪This 73-page report found that some child domestic workers – who are overwhelmingly girls – toil for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, for as little as US$11 a month.

  • For a Better Life

    Migrant Worker Abuse in Bahrain and the Government Reform Agenda

    This 123-page report documents the many forms of abuse and exploitation suffered by migrant workers in Bahrain and details the government’s efforts to provide redress and strengthen worker protections.

  • “They Deceived Us at Every Step”

    Abuse of Cambodian Domestic Workers Migrating to Malaysia

    This report documents Cambodian domestic workers’ experiences during recruitment, work abroad, and upon their return home. It is based on 80 interviews with migrant domestic workers, their families, government officials, nongovernmental organizations, and recruitment agents.

  • Domestic Plight

    How Jordanian Laws, Officials, Employers, and Recruiters Fail Abused Migrant Domestic Workers

    This 111-page report documents abuses against domestic workers and the failure of Jordanian officials to hold employers and the agents who recruited the workers accountable.

  • Walls at Every Turn

    Abuse of Migrant Domestic Workers through Kuwait’s Sponsorship System

    This 97-page report describes how workers become trapped in exploitative or abusive employment then face criminal penalties for leaving a job without the employer’s permission.

  • Without Protection

    How the Lebanese Justice System Fails Migrant Domestic Workers

    This 54-page report reviews 114 Lebanese judicial decisions affecting migrant domestic workers. It finds that lack of accessible complaint mechanisms, lengthy judicial procedures, and restrictive visa policies dissuade many workers from filing or pursuing complaints against their employers.

  • Slow Reform

    Protection of Migrant Domestic Workers in Asia and the Middle East

    This 26-page report reviews conditions in eight countries with large numbers of migrant domestic workers: Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Singapore, and Malaysia.

  • Workers in the Shadows

    Abuse and Exploitation of Child Domestic Workers in Indonesia

    This report documents how hundreds of thousands of girls in Indonesia, some as young as 11, are employed as domestic workers in other people’s households, performing tasks such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, and child care.

  • "As If I Am Not Human"

    Abuses against Asian Domestic Workers in Saudi Arabia

    This 133-page report concludes two years of research and is based on 142 interviews with domestic workers, senior government officials, and labor recruiters in Saudi Arabia and labor-sending countries.

  • Bottom of the Ladder

    Exploitation and Abuse of Girl Domestic Workers in Guinea

    This 110-page report documents how girls as young as 8 years old work up to 18 hours a day as domestic workers, frequently without pay, and are often insulted, beaten