The hidden nature of domestic servitude
Domestic servitude has historically been one of the most underreported forms of modern slavery due to its hidden nature in private homes and lack of awareness and education in both professionals and the general public. It can easily be misidentified or combined with domestic abuse or other forms of modern slavery like labour or sexual exploitation. There are also cultural or gender norms that lead people – bystanders and those involved alike – to accept these situations as “normal.”
Statistics from the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) – the UK’s mechanism for reporting modern slavery and gathering data on trends and prevalence – reported the following:
- 23,411 total referrals.
- Of those, only 480 (2%) were for pure domestic servitude.
- 1,635 (7%) referrals were for domestic servitude combined with another form of modern slavery.
In that same timeframe, the Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline reported:
- 2,954 modern slavery cases, involving 6,628 potential victims (each of which would need a referral to enter the NRM if they consent).
- 115 (6%) cases of pure domestic servitude, involving 161(3%) potential victims.
Though slight, we see that the Helpline received more calls proportionally about domestic servitude than the NRM statistics report. We can also see that domestic servitude is more likely to be identified when it is identified along with another, more visible form of modern slavery. This suggests domestic servitude happens more frequently than is currently being recognised.
These statistics do not differentiate between people being exploited by someone they know personally or are related to vs. people who are here on the Overseas Domestic Worker visa. As the visa scheme already has certain mechanisms in place for regulation, and has also come under scrutiny recently after some high-profile cases, we have decided to focus our attention on domestic servitude perpetrated by familial relations.
What is familial domestic servitude?
Familial domestic servitude is when someone is made to carry out domestic work by a partner, their in-laws, or their own family, not by choice, but because they are under threat or coercion to do so. Even if someone feels household work is their duty due to cultural or gender norms, when someone no longer has the right to say ‘no’ without severe consequence and cannot willingly leave the situation, that has crossed the line into domestic servitude.
This can include:
- Cooking, cleaning, childcare, and gardening.
- Looking after extended, elderly, or disabled family members.
- Working long hours in the home without rest.
- Having no control over money or daily life.
At first glance, it may appear to be a typical household arrangement, but the crucial difference is that victims are forced or pressured into carrying out these duties rather than choosing to do them freely, they are subject to abuse, and they are threatened with consequences if they refuse or attempt to leave.
Domestic servitude vs. domestic abuse
Domestic servitude is a unique form of modern slavery in that may initially present as solely domestic abuse. However, there are specific legal distinctions between the two and there are separate support provisions in place for each.
Domestic servitude and domestic have a high overlap that can make them difficult to separate from each other. Both involve coercion, monitoring and control, and physical and/or emotional abuse. However, in domestic servitude situations there is a distinct intent to use a person for domestic labour – this labour becomes their main “purpose” to the exploiter – and they are unable to leave the arrangement. It is important to remember that both domestic servitude and abuse can be happening at the same time.
Different presentations of domestic servitude
There isn’t a definitive way for someone to end up in a domestic servitude situation. People may find themselves in familial domestic servitude through:
- Arranged or forced marriages.
- Coming to the UK on a different visa (such as a student or care worker visa) and then being pressured into marriage.
- Sham marriages to obtain leave to remain or other secure immigration status.
- Relationships formed to avoid homelessness.
- Relationships connected to substance dependency.
- Situations that started as labour or sexual exploitation and developed a domestic servitude aspect.
- Children exploited by family members.
What we are doing to educate and raise awareness
The designated testing area for this community’s engagement initiatives was the Greater West Midlands area, covering the police force areas of Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Mercia, and the West Midlands, selected by a combination of Helpline data and current stakeholder connections. Each of the following programs started in this area to test engagement levels before being rolled out across England.
In highly controlled domestic servitude situations, there are few places victims are allowed to go, alone or under supervision. Through conversations with key stakeholders and our Survivor Consultant group, we have identified that some of these places are supermarkets, schools, and health care services. We have focused education and awareness raising efforts in these spaces in the hope that people in domestic servitude situations will encounter these resources and be able to access support. Additionally, we are upskilling professionals who might encounter people seeking aid.
Upskilling Professionals
We have developed a guide for professional workers who might encounter potential victims – both modern slavery first responders such as police and designated anti-slavery charities, and non-first responders such as NHS staff and domestic abuse charities – to provide them a resource for domestic servitude definitions and indicators that can aid them in identifying these situations and signpost them to the appropriate next step.
Several professional organisations and partnerships – ranging from police, domestic abuse charities, local authority education departments, and more – invited us to speak to their teams to provide education and awareness raising.
Webinar for first responders: domestic servitude vs domestic abuse
Webinar for non-first responders: domestic servitude vs domestic abuse
Hidden in homes across the country
Though our testing area was the Greater West Midlands, familial domestic servitude can happen in any home across the country. We have designed our resources to be applicable to any area in England, and useful for most professionals who may encounter potential victims.
How you can provide support
Our accessible awareness raising materials are designed to help professionals identify cases of familial domestic servitude and encourage potential victims to seek out support and guidance through first responders or the Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline.
If you have identified a similar situation in your area and believe these materials could help reach another community, but you need a different language translation than what is currently available, please contact us at [email protected] to discuss options.
Learn more about the National Lottery funded project that is enabling Unseen to engage potential victims and survivors of modern slavery in hard-to-reach communities.