Why domestic workers face distinctive risks
Domestic work takes place in private households, often beyond ordinary public scrutiny. Live-in arrangements, immigration rules tied to employment, isolation, language barriers and dependence on recruiters or employers can intensify unequal power.
Risk is not destiny. Many people migrate by choice and with agency. A rights-based approach avoids portraying migrant workers only as victims while addressing the systems that can enable abuse.
Rights across the migration journey
Workers should receive accurate information, transparent recruitment terms, a comprehensible written contract, control of identity documents, fair wages and hours, rest, privacy, safety and freedom from violence, harassment and forced labour.
Complaint systems should be confidential, accessible in a language the worker understands and protected against retaliation. Repatriation should be safe and should preserve continuing claims for wages, compensation or accountability.
- Keep safe copies of contracts, receipts, travel records and communications.
- Record wage payments and key incidents where it is safe to do so.
- Do not expose private case details publicly without informed consent and a safety assessment.
Cross-border justice after return
Leaving the country of employment should not end a valid claim. Legal assessment may examine employment law, recruitment regulation, trafficking law, civil responsibility, criminal accountability and company grievance mechanisms in more than one country.
Effective coordination may require Kenyan and destination-country lawyers, consular services, labour authorities, interpreters and trusted support organisations. No actor should promise an outcome that cannot be guaranteed.