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News

Keep up to date with all our campaigns, recent media coverage of issues affecting migrant domestic workers and case studies. For regular updates on all our work please follow us on Twitter @kalayaan.

New report sets out why all slavery survivors must have the right to work in the National Referral Mechanism

  Today, Kalayaan has published the first of five ‘mini reports’ on the right to work in the…

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Kalayaan celebrates Campaigning Group’s work in 2024 Showcase

  In the week before Anti-Slavery Day, on 11 October 2024, Kalayaan held a Showcase Event to highlight…

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Kalayaan takes campaign message direct to parliamentarians: the time for change is now

  Earlier this month our Policy Officer Avril visited Brighton and Liverpool to participate in the Liberal Democrats…

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We, Domestic Workers: A Zine By Kalayaan’s Campaigning Group

  Read We, Domestic Workers, a Zine produced by Kalayaan’s Campaigning Group. The Zine contains the work of…

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Kalayaan and non-statutory First Responders call for Government action

  Kalayaan and many non-statutory First Responders have signed a joint statement asking for the Home Office to…

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“They’re profiting from the misery of the world”: How the Hinduja exploitation trial in Switzerland is a typical case study of the exploitation of domestic workers in the UK and around the world

by Sophie Levack, Policy Officer at Kalayaan Last week, news broke that some members of the Hinduja family…

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12 years of modern slavery: Kalayaan’s new report exposes the smokescreen used to deny rights to migrant domestic workers that would keep them safe at work

  On International Domestic Workers’ Day 2024, Kalayaan releases our new report, 12 years of modern slavery: the…

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Kalayaan marks 12 years of the harmful Overseas Domestic Worker visa with comrades and allies

  By Becca Hirst, Community Engagement Lead for Kalayaan. On 3 April 2024, Kalayaan hosted a coffee morning…

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Campaigns

Kalayaan’s campaign and policy work is focused on reinstating the basic rights of migrant domestic workers which were removed in April 2012, tying domestic workers who have entered since this date to their employers. This makes it impossible in practise for migrant domestic workers to assert any rights as, without the right to resign or to leave their employment, they have no bargaining power at all in what is already a vastly unequal employment relationship.

Abuse reported to Kalayaan by workers who have registered with us since April 2012 make it clear that the removal of the rights to change employer not only destroys the chances of migrant domestic workers to access justice once they have escaped abuse. The fact that workers are tied to their employer with no option to leave also results in a worsening of treatment in employment, particularly in restrictions of freedoms.

Read more about our campaigns here

New report sets out why all slavery survivors must have the right to work in the National Referral Mechanism

  Today, Kalayaan has published the first of five ‘mini reports’ on the right to work in the…

Read here

Kalayaan celebrates Campaigning Group’s work in 2024 Showcase

  In the week before Anti-Slavery Day, on 11 October 2024, Kalayaan held a Showcase Event to highlight…

Read here

Kalayaan takes campaign message direct to parliamentarians: the time for change is now

  Earlier this month our Policy Officer Avril visited Brighton and Liverpool to participate in the Liberal Democrats…

Read here

We, Domestic Workers: A Zine By Kalayaan’s Campaigning Group

  Read We, Domestic Workers, a Zine produced by Kalayaan’s Campaigning Group. The Zine contains the work of…

Read here

Kalayaan and non-statutory First Responders call for Government action

  Kalayaan and many non-statutory First Responders have signed a joint statement asking for the Home Office to…

Read here

12 years of modern slavery: Kalayaan’s new report exposes the smokescreen used to deny rights to migrant domestic workers that would keep them safe at work

  On International Domestic Workers’ Day 2024, Kalayaan releases our new report, 12 years of modern slavery: the…

Read here

Kalayaan marks 12 years of the harmful Overseas Domestic Worker visa with comrades and allies

  By Becca Hirst, Community Engagement Lead for Kalayaan. On 3 April 2024, Kalayaan hosted a coffee morning…

Read here

Kalayaan speaks to the United Nations in Geneva

  Our Policy Officer, Sophie Levack, attended and made a statement at the Human Rights Committee’s 140th Session…

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The National Referral Mechanism: Near Breaking Point – Progress Report 2024 – One Year On

  Today, ahead of the Human Trafficking Foundation’s forum held at Linklaters, Kalayaan is launching our new report,…

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The family worker exemption revisited: a sustained campaign against the devaluation of domestic work

Click below to read an article by our Trustee Natalie Sedacca: The family worker exemption revisited: a sustained…

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Case Study 1: Trafficked

‘Regina’ (not her real name) was brought to the UK by an employer to work in their private…

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Case Study 2: Escaped But Failed

Mira (names and identifying features have been changed) ‘Mira’ was waiting outside Kalayaan in tears with a small…

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Case Study 3: Domestic Servitude

 KALAYAAN case id: 3294 Susi (name and identifying details have been changed) came to the UK from Qatar…

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Case Study 4: No Justice

Kalayaan client ID 3465 Case Study ‘Rupa’ (name and identifying details have been changed)  Rupa arrived at Kalayaan…

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Case Study 5: Rights, Justice and Rebuilding Lives

Sara- original ODW visa case study   Sara, an Indian national, was bought to the UK from Kuwait…

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Number of suspected modern slavery victi…

“Without being able to access the NRM via a first responder, survivors remain at unaccepta…

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The Experts by Experience Podcast

In this episode, the EbE podcast, in collaboration with Kalayaan, dives into the ongoing cam…

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Lords committee calls on Labour to resto…

Peers say protections have been undermined by three immigration acts passed by the previous…

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Lord Chancellor to review legal aid rate…

Duncan Lewis Solicitors brought a judicial review claim against the Lord Chancellor in June…

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