Indispensable yet Unprotected

The demand for domestic workers is on the increase within India and in many other countries. This indispensable, yet unrecognised and invisible, labour force is vulnerable and subject to abuse. This study seeks to understand the problems of women migrant domestic workers and to assess the nature of abuse they face, including whether some are victims of forced labour or trafficking for labour exploitation as defined in international law. It examines two of the most frequented migration routes for