It begins with a room – a simple space filled with voices that carry both pain and power. These are the voices of women who have journeyed across continents, through hardship, exploitation, and injustice. And yet, they rise.
Kalayaan’s Campaigning Group launched its first gathering of the year in honour of International Women’s Day – a space where migrant domestic workers came together not just to share their stories, but to reclaim their power.
They are single mothers, survivors of abuse, women who have endured the harshest conditions under restrictive visas and financial constraints. Some have escaped unbearable situations in the Middle East; others have fought battles in silence while working tirelessly in the UK. But they refuse to be defined by their struggles. They are fighters – women who dream, who demand, who defy.
Stories of Strength
In a storytelling circle, they laid bare their struggles and triumphs, weaving a tapestry of resilience. They honoured the legacy of fierce domestic workers who came before them, drawing inspiration from Josephine Wong, whose groundbreaking legal battle ensured that diplomats who exploit workers in conditions of modern slavery cannot hide behind diplomatic immunity.
They looked inward, recognizing their true selves while envisioning the women they strive to become. Their dreams are as diverse as their experiences – to master English fluently, to become chefs, to join the army, to transition into care work. They fight to be seen, to be heard, to be free.
The Battle for Rights and Dignity
Migrant domestic workers are among the most vulnerable populations globally, with over 50 million people trapped in modern slavery – many of them domestic workers. Their stories are often dismissed, their rights overlooked, their dignity disregarded. But these women know the truth: dignity is not a privilege; it is an unshakable right – one that must be restored, protected, and fiercely upheld.
And so, they fight. They fight against abusive employers who see them as less than human. They fight for fair wages, for safety, for belonging. They fight against a system that claims to protect but often fails them.
Unstoppable Women
What makes these women extraordinary is not just their resilience, but the raw, breathtaking duality they embody – powerful yet vulnerable, fierce yet tender, carrying wounds yet refusing to break. They stand at the intersection of survival and ambition, of grief and hope. They are the essence of womanhood – lifting themselves and each other up, rebuilding their lives with a courage that demands to be witnessed.
And women who know their worth, their rights, and their strength are unstoppable.
📩 Interested in joining/ volunteering for Kalayaan’s Campaigning Group and Community Engagement Programme? Email info@kalayaan.org.uk.