Demand in the context of trafficking in human beings in the domestic work sector in the United Kingdom

Abstract

The British government has taken several important legislative steps in addressing THB, the modern slavery bill being the most recent one. At the same time, it has adopted a number of policies that contradict the implementation of a public policy intent at criminalising and stopping THB. The change of the overseas domestic worker visa rules putting newly arrived domestic workers in a very vulnerable position as regards their employment is a case in point. The UK also remains a country with a largely unregulated domestic work sector and without a Labour Inspectorate agency overseeing the activities of employers and businesses across the sectors of the British economy. The evidence collected in this study suggests that the main obstacles to prevent exploitative situations within the domestic work industry are: a) the strict immigration rules and political priorities of law enforcement agencies, b) the involvement of the State in the organisation and regulation of the domestic work labour market, and c) the state of the welfare regime protecting families and offering vulnerable individuals access to the rule of law. These are the structural reasons that lie behind the failure to protect domestic workers and deter abusive behaviour on the part of employers in the UK. The study’s findings on national law-cases also demonstrate that the kind of work relationship established in domestic work aggravates the vulnerability of the workers and the sense of impunity on the part of the employers.