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Call on the Uk government to end domestic slavery

Over the past 15 months our Home Alone: End Domestic Slavery campaign has been driving forward awareness and global action to ensure a new international Convention on domestic work is created. The campaign is now in it’s final few weeks in the run up to the key vote on the Convention at the International Labour Conference, starting 1st June in Geneva.

On 12th May, Members of the European Parliament voted resoundingly in favour (88% of those present) of passing a resolution to voice their overwhelming support for the adoption of a strong Domestic Work Convention, and recent responses from governments around the world have signalled widespread support for a Convention, from the US and Latin America to Africa and Asia

YET the UK Government is still not fully supporting the Convention. And whilst they support it in principle, they want to weaken it by arguing that some very important provisions that would make domestic workers less vulnerable to exploitation and slavery be removed from it

Please send the below email to the Government NOW URGING them to support the domestic worker Convention.

Your message

Subject:

Dear Business Secretary,

I am writing to you as I am deeply concerned about the situation of domestic workers in the UK and around the world, many of whom are subject to abuse, exploitation and slavery. I would like to ask your government to fully support a new International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on domestic work to protect domestic workers from these human rights violations.

Working behind closed doors in private households, domestic work is all too often undervalued and unregulated. In many countries domestic workers are excluded from national labour legislation. Existing international conventions have failed to address the unique circumstances of domestic work nor have they provided adequate protection against exploitation and slavery.

I appreciate that the UK is currently ahead of other countries in providing protections to domestic workers, notably prohibiting employers from confiscating their passports and enabling them to change employers. However, despite these provisions the abuse and enslavement of domestic workers continues in this country and around the world. An international Convention would not only strengthen protections for domestic workers here but ensure that domestic workers everywhere are protected.

In a recent report, 93 states from around the world responded to the proposed Convention. The overall attitude is encouraging and signals an emerging international consensus in support of a Convention. Despite this, the UK has continued to express reservations in relation to some of the most crucial provisions for domestic workers within the Convention. I would find it extremely disappointing should the Government maintain this position. Potentially unequal treatment of domestic workers before the law highlights the very need for a Convention which clearly sets out their rights and the responsibilities of employers. The UK must ensure that no exemptions are made in relation to the protection of the rights of domestic workers, so as not to perpetuate their ongoing vulnerability and abuse.

I sincerely hope that the Government will strengthen its current position. At the International Labour Conference in June this year, the UK has the opportunity to take a leading role among the international community to address the abuse of domestic workers both in the UK and around the world and ensure their rights are upheld.

I therefore urge the Government to:
- Support a new robust ILO Convention on domestic work, supplemented by a Recommendation, to protect the rights of domestic workers in the UK and worldwide.
- Ensure the Convention recognises the special conditions in which domestic work is carried out, sets out clear rules to prevent abuse, and promotes equality for domestic workers under labour laws.
- Ensure the Convention contains specific provisions to protect child and migrant domestic workers.

I look forward to your reply.

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