Demand Dignity for Domestic Workers in Australia
- by: Walk Free
- recipient: The Honourable Eric Abetz, Minister For Employment
"You must iron my clothes and make my food whenever I like and whatever I like…you must care for me…you are here to do the housework… otherwise it's no use keeping you here."
These are the chilling instructions one woman was given after commencing domestic "work" in Australia, and is just one of the stories contained in a 2014 report by the Australian Institute of Criminology.[1]
Domestic slavery takes many forms: 16-hour days without breaks, violence and threats and little or no pay. In short, it's when private homes become prisons that people cannot leave. By their very nature, these abuses happen behind closed doors – and many Australians are not aware they are occurring here.
But if we come together, we can make domestic slavery an urgent priority, and spur the Government of Australia's immediate action to ensure no domestic worker is enslaved here.
There are an estimated 54,000 domestic workers in Australia.[2] By taking swift action now, we can help protect every one of these workers from the nightmare of modern slavery.
*This campaign is a joint effort as part of The Freedom Partnership - to end modern slavery.
"You must iron my clothes and make my food whenever I like and whatever I like…you must care for me…you are here to do the housework… otherwise it's no use keeping you here."
These are the chilling instructions one woman was given after commencing domestic "work" in Australia, and is just one of the stories contained in a 2014 report by the Australian Institute of Criminology.[1]
Domestic slavery takes many forms: 16-hour days without breaks, violence and threats and little or no pay. In short, it's when private homes become prisons that people cannot leave. By their very nature, these abuses happen behind closed doors – and many Australians are not aware they are occurring here.
But if we come together, we can make domestic slavery an urgent priority, and spur the Government of Australia's immediate action to ensure no domestic worker is enslaved here.
There are an estimated 54,000 domestic workers in Australia.[2] By taking swift action now, we can help protect every one of these workers from the nightmare of modern slavery.
[1] http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/rpp/124/rpp124.pdf
[2] http://lmip.gov.au/default.aspx?LMIP/EmploymentProjections
These are the chilling instructions one woman was given after commencing domestic "work" in Australia, and is just one of the stories contained in a 2014 report by the Australian Institute of Criminology.[1]
Domestic slavery takes many forms: 16-hour days without breaks, violence and threats and little or no pay. In short, it's when private homes become prisons that people cannot leave. By their very nature, these abuses happen behind closed doors – and many Australians are not aware they are occurring here.
But if we come together, we can make domestic slavery an urgent priority, and spur the Government of Australia's immediate action to ensure no domestic worker is enslaved here.
There are an estimated 54,000 domestic workers in Australia.[2] By taking swift action now, we can help protect every one of these workers from the nightmare of modern slavery.
*This campaign is a joint effort as part of The Freedom Partnership - to end modern slavery.
"You must iron my clothes and make my food whenever I like and whatever I like…you must care for me…you are here to do the housework… otherwise it's no use keeping you here."
These are the chilling instructions one woman was given after commencing domestic "work" in Australia, and is just one of the stories contained in a 2014 report by the Australian Institute of Criminology.[1]
Domestic slavery takes many forms: 16-hour days without breaks, violence and threats and little or no pay. In short, it's when private homes become prisons that people cannot leave. By their very nature, these abuses happen behind closed doors – and many Australians are not aware they are occurring here.
But if we come together, we can make domestic slavery an urgent priority, and spur the Government of Australia's immediate action to ensure no domestic worker is enslaved here.
There are an estimated 54,000 domestic workers in Australia.[2] By taking swift action now, we can help protect every one of these workers from the nightmare of modern slavery.
[1] http://www.aic.gov.au/media_library/publications/rpp/124/rpp124.pdf
[2] http://lmip.gov.au/default.aspx?LMIP/EmploymentProjections
Dear the Honourable Eric Abetz,
The Australian Government stated in June 2014 that it "already has strong laws in place to prevent slavery, prosecute perpetrators, and help is available to assist victims if required." Yet despite these laws, a series of horrific examples have shown that domestic workers in Australia remain vulnerable to severe exploitation and abuse equal to modern slavery.
We therefore call on the Government of Australia to improve the safeguards for domestic workers in this country by:
- Ratifying the International Domestic Workers Convention (C189)
- Granting bridging visas to domestic workers who wish to pursue civil cases against their employer if other visa options are not available
- Providing culturally appropriate rights information to people intending to obtain employment as domestic workers prior to their departure to Australia, and implement safety and welfare compliance checks once they arrive
[Your comments here]
Sincerely,
[Your name]
Sign PetitionSign PetitionThe Australian Government stated in June 2014 that it "already has strong laws in place to prevent slavery, prosecute perpetrators, and help is available to assist victims if required." Yet despite these laws, a series of horrific examples have shown that domestic workers in Australia remain vulnerable to severe exploitation and abuse equal to modern slavery.
We therefore call on the Government of Australia to improve the safeguards for domestic workers in this country by:
- Ratifying the International Domestic Workers Convention (C189)
- Granting bridging visas to domestic workers who wish to pursue civil cases against their employer if other visa options are not available
- Providing culturally appropriate rights information to people intending to obtain employment as domestic workers prior to their departure to Australia, and implement safety and welfare compliance checks once they arrive
[Your comments here]
Sincerely,
[Your name]
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