Modern-day slavery: Mira's story

The full emancipation of all slaves was legally granted on August 1, 1838, with the abolition of the apprenticeship system, which replaced slavery. The apprenticeship system meant slaves still had to work for their previous masters for a very low wage.

Although full emancipation was granted 175 years ago, slavery isn’t an issue just confined to the past. Yahoo! News looks into modern-day slavery in the UK. A tearful Mira waited outside Kalayaan – a charity which supports migrant domestic workers in the UK – with a small bag containing all her belongings.

She had run away from her employer’s house in the early hours and had found her way to the charity Kalayaan after being given the address by another domestic worker in the same apartment block. Mira grew up in a small village in the Philippines in a large and desperately poor family. Money was so tight that Mira resorted to approaching an agent for domestic work overseas to support her loved ones.

She was assigned to a family in the Middle East and had to give up the equivalent of four months' salary just to get the job. She worked as a nanny and maid, responsible for all domestic chores. Not long into her employment she was brought over to the UK by her host family when they visited a relative. Once based in the UK, Mira had to work 16 hours a day with no time off at all.

She shared a room with the children she was tasked with looking after and had no private space or time for herself. She kept all her belongings in a small area under the washing machine. She ate only leftovers after the family had finished eating and because they often went out for dinner, she was left hungry. She was forbidden from cooking additional food for herself and was frequently screamed at.

While Mira had been paid £100 a month in the Middle East, three months into her time in the UK she had received nothing and was desperately worried about how her family at home in the Philippines were surviving without her wages. Mira’s employers had snatched her passport away from her as soon as she'd joined them, but one day she found it in the flat and took the opportunity to reclaim it.

A scared Mira dared to hope when she saw there was a visa document inside her passport. She decided to approach Kalayaan to see if she could legally find another job. But her visa turned out to be a tied overseas domestic worker visa -issued after a change in the law in April 2012 - which meant that while she was still within its six-month validity period, she was prohibited from changing employer and it was not renewable beyond this time. Her days working in the UK looked to be numbered.

Source

I had no idea that this type of thing was still happening
I know alot of migrant workers come over, but not to be forced into slavery and basically made to live in hell, when all they want to do is earn a little money for their family, it's disgusting. There should be a crackdown on this and get all the workers out of slavery, I can't believe that's a word we still have to use. 'Slavery'
It makes me so angry that these people are promised everything they need to help out their families back home, just to get here to be treat worse than dogs.
It all needs stopping.

Originally posted by sarahlm
I can't believe that's a word we still have to use. 'Slavery'

Actually there needs to be a completely different word for this.

Its not like what most people think of when they hear the word "slavery" (owned, in chains, able to be legally killed, can be bought and sold...).

In Mira's case, its really just a #ty job, who's employers treated her badly and didnt pay her.
She could have walked out and down to the police station at any time, and requested help to get her passport back and return home to the Philippines.
And lets face it, is much the same as what will happen to her now anyway that she went to the charity.

Originally posted by alfa1

Originally posted by sarahlm
I can't believe that's a word we still have to use. 'Slavery'

Actually there needs to be a completely different word for this.

Its not like what most people think of when they hear the word "slavery"

In Mira's case, its really just a #ty job, who's employers treated her badly and didnt pay her.

pretty sure this is what people think when they hear slavery

she apparently had very limited time or access to any kind of information and was still holding out hope of getting a legitimate job so her family didnt starve so no its not like she would be aware that going to the police would be the best option (and we still dont know it would be all the family has to do is accuse her of lying to cover the fact shes a thief and her foreign butt is deported no questions asked)

reply to post by alfa1



Not really, she worked for a middle eastern family, they look down on EVERYONE ELSE, they snatched her passport, if she trie to get it back while in the M.E., she would never get it back; she was extremely lucky she found it while the family was in the UK