Phone call (contd) - domestic worker escapes from her employer

The worker who has been phoning has finally plucked up the courage to escape. This was after several planned attempts which fell through as she always became too nervous. She arrived at our offices this afternoon, with a small bag. Luckily she knew where her employer kept her passport and was able to take it with her, and she has a valid domestic worker visa, so is able to work for someone else as long as she can find a full time post doing domestic work in one household.

As migrant domestic workers are prohibited from accessing public funds there is almost no housing available for people in ‘A’s situation who have escaped an employer. This means everytime a worker turns up at Kalayaan having run away we spend a lot of time phoning around trying to find somewhere to stay. Usually we are able to find another domestic worker who ‘lives out’ and is able to offer a space for a short while. This is far from ideal from anyone’s point of view but is usually all that is available.

After a few hours we found somewhere for A. Luckily, as she speaks almost no English, this was with another domestic worker who speaks her language and who thinks her employer may have a friend who wants to employer someone. This could all work out very well.