New data reveals widespread abuse of Sierra Leonean domestic workers in Oman
Domestic workers in Oman face forced labour conditions, the new Global Estimates show a large increase in the number of people living in modern slavery, and EU draft rules banning the import of products made with forced labour are expected this week.
A new report from labour rights organization Do Bold documents an array of systemic and widespread abusive practices perpetrated against Sierra Leonean female domestic workers in Oman, which begin at recruitment and continue in the host country. They include extensive human trafficking and normalized and accepted abuses that indicate forced labour.
Mapping Her Journey: Documenting Widespread Issues Affecting Sierra Leonean Domestic Workers in Oman Using Primary, Real-Time and Near Real-Time Data is based on interviews and surveys undertaken as part of Do Bold’s Freedom for Our Sisters project, and reveals that 99.8 per cent of women whose surveys were verified were identified as victims of human trafficking. In addition, the vast majority reported working conditions consistent with forced labour indicators which included deceptive recruitment (78 per cent), long working hours (80 per cent worked between 16 and 20 hours a day), restriction of movement (91 per cent), and discrimination (77 per cent). More than half experienced wage theft and physical abuse and more than a quarter experienced sexual abuse.
Do Bold supports migrant workers in Gulf countries by working on the ground, addressing systemic issues, empowering communities, and helping workers to access justice and remedy. The Freedom for Our Sisters project has created one of the largest data sets on domestic workers in the Gulf and Do Bold believe it to be the first to investigate the journey of a woman migrant domestic worker from recruitment to repatriation using real-time and near real-time data. In addition, the report details the process by which the vast majority became trapped in Oman, unable to seek redress, support or remedy for the wrongdoings perpetrated against them.
The findings reveal that women fall victim to systemic problems which remove all agency from migrant domestic workers in the country – Oman’s labour laws do not extend to domestic employment and the sector is not well regulated. The kafala system – a set of laws governing migrant workers’ immigration status and legal residence in the region – results in an imbalance of power which greatly favors the employer. For instance, domestic workers are forbidden from leaving their employment, or from finding a new job without their previous employer’s consent. Furthermore, employers can report workers who leave without permission for “absconding”, thus criminalizing the act of fleeing an abusive situation. Grievance mechanisms are not accessible, not functional, or flawed in their response, and accountability for wrongdoing is rarely seen. Another hindrance to the provision of protection and support for domestic workers are the constraints placed on civil society groups, which cannot openly oppose the government and have little power to create change.
The report offers recommendations for the governments of both Oman and Sierra Leone, aimed at closing the gaps in legal frameworks, addressing normalized practices that facilitate human trafficking and/or forced labour, and putting systems in place to prevent and tackle these crimes. For Oman, recommendations include: the decriminalization of “absconding” and reformed laws that allow workers to leave abusive employment situations; prohibiting the request of “release money”; ensuring legal protection and better working and living conditions for workers through a domestic workers’ law and work contract; and strengthening the implementation of existing anti-human trafficking laws. For Sierra Leone, they include: strengthening regulations on fair and ethical recruitment; strengthening the implementation of a safe, independent and accessible national grievance mechanism through which to report human trafficking; increased access to justice for victims of human trafficking; and increased awareness of human trafficking.
The report also suggests that the two countries should create an effective and transparent collaborative relationship through which to protect domestic workers.
Here’s a round-up of other noteworthy news and initiatives:
The 2021 Global Estimates of Modern Slavery report was published by the International Labour Organization (ILO), Walk Free and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) yesterday. Fifty million people were living in modern slavery in 2021, ten million more compared with 2016 global estimates.
Products made with forced labour will be banned from import into the 27-country European Union under draft rules expected in the next few days, according to an EU document. However, the rules are expected to be less far-reaching than original proposals from EU lawmakers due in part to legal constraints.
A new briefing paper by Humanity Research Consultancy provides insights into modern slavery at online scamming compounds in Cambodia and Myanmar, including an estimate of the number of victims, demographics of identified victims, specifics of the exploitation, and recruitment modes.
Last week, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) removed Indian garment-maker Natchi Apparel (owned by Eastman Exports) from a list of manufacturers banned from importing into the U.S. for using forced labour. In reaching its determination that forced labour conditions were fully remedied at the factory, CBP relied on evidence submitted by Global Labor Justice-International Labor Rights Forum on behalf of labour stakeholders.
The discovery of 287 Egyptian migrants, including more than 90 children, held in a warehouse in eastern Libya should underscore the importance of combating smuggling and human trafficking networks, as well as raising awareness of the dangers of exploitative migration routes and this type of abuse, Euro-Med Monitor said in a statement.
This article summarizes important Best Practices for Staying Safe While Investigating Human Trafficking, which were shared during a recent webinar organized by Journalismfund.eu’s Modern Slavery Unveiled programme.
The Fight of My Life: Finding Ruby is a new podcast series exploring the story of “Ruby”, the pseudonym for a Filipina who was forced into making child sexual abuse material at the age of 16, and the global effort to put a stop to the sexual exploitation of children.
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