Ethiopia is one of the largest sources of low-wage domestic workers in the Middle East. Women who migrate for these jobs, whether through regular (“legal”) or irregular (“illegal”) migration channels, often end up facing abuse and in situations of forced labour. The pre-migration process is an important juncture to understand how vulnerabilities accumulate over women’s journey to work overseas.
A new study by New York University and the Freedom Fund explores the experiences of Ethiopian women before they depart for domestic work in the Middle East, highlighting that their vulnerability to exploitation begins even before they leave their home country. A diverse sample of 173 female migrants shared stories and data about their past and prospective migration to the Middle East.
Emergent findings include:
- Employment agencies and brokers: Most interviewees found their jobs through employment agencies and brokers, many of whom are unlicensed. Women reported being misled about working hours, wages, or the amount of debt that they would incur.
- Withholding of passports: Typically, agencies and brokers retain the women’s passports until the visa is issued, limiting the women’s ability to switch agencies even if they feel deceived or dissatisfied with the current one.
- Waiting time before travelling to the Middle East: The majority of prospective migrant domestic workers waited two to five months in Ethiopia to complete their paperwork and secure employment overseas. During this interim period, the relatively high living costs and lack of earning opportunities in Addis Ababa (compared to their home community) added to their migration costs. Interviewees who were aware of the total cost of their migration reported a median amount of ETB 16,000 to 19,000 (USD 295 to 351).
- Salary and employment conditions: The majority of migrant domestic workers do not negotiate their salaries and often lack basic information regarding their pay and terms of work prior to departure. This lack of negotiation, compounded by the significant power dynamics present under the Kafala system, enables many employers to underpay workers or withhold payments altogether.
- Training and rights awareness: Although the mandatory competency training provides essential information about workers’ rights, many of the migrant domestic workers doubted whether they could exercise these rights once they are in the host country. There remains a significant power imbalance between domestic workers and employers, inhibiting the migrants’ ability to negotiate terms or report abuses:
We were told we have a right to be properly fed, get a clean sleeping place, work for only eight hours, etc. But what power do we have to ensure we get these conditions? If we call the agency, they will not even pick the phone up or return our call.
~ 32-years-old female who is planning to migrate aboard
Given the substantial risks and vulnerabilities faced by Ethiopian migrant domestic workers, this new report recommends regulatory reforms, increased transparency around migration costs, and decentralisation of pre-migration services from Addis Ababa to other regions of Ethiopia.
The findings presented in They don’t give you accurate information about anything: Pre-migration experiences of Ethiopian migrant domestic workershighlight how addressing these multifaceted challenges is essential for improving the conditions for Ethiopian MDWs to work safely and with dignity while abroad.
Click below to access the report.
Photo credit: UNICEF Ethiopia
