A South Asian Long Island couple worth millions of dollars is accused of torturing and keeping enslaved their two Indonesian domestic workers for several years.  A full story as well as photographic evidence of what the workers endured (some of these pictures may be disturbing) can be found here.

 

The case speaks to the larger issue of forced labor and abuse that countless domestic workers throughout the world face.  These workers are overwhelmingly women, come from primarily Asian, African, Latin American and Caribbean countries, and have families who are dependent on their meager incomes and immigration status.  The abuse that many of the women face is horrific beyond imagination—physical, sexual and emotional exploitation, torture, and denial of food, water, hygiene and adequate amounts of rest, among others.  Human Rights Watch released a report in 2006 that not only outlines the plight of exploited domestic workers, but also condemns governments for their failure to protect domestic workers from abuse and slavery.  “Most countries around the world, however, exclude domestic work from their labor codes or provide for lesser rights. Labor legislation must be complemented by criminal laws allowing for successful prosecution of offenses such as physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, forced labor, forced confinement, and trafficking in persons,” according to HRW.  Additionally, this issue has a decidedly gendered aspect to it:  “Millions of women and girls turn to domestic work as one of the few economic opportunities available to them,” said [Human Rights Watch researcher Nisha] Varia. “Abuses often take place in private homes and are totally hidden from the public eye.”

At least the Muttontown couple has been charged with a crime, the evidence and subsequent trial will reveal the truth.  However, for thousands of domestic workers, their abusers will never be held accountable—because they work for families that have diplomatic immunity.  The suffering of domestic workers abused by families of diplomats is so well documented that even the U.S. State Department has reported on it.

I remember soon after I moved to New York City last year, the subway system running chaotically due to weather and construction, and being on a very slow-moving C train going into Brooklyn and Queens.  A young South Asian woman asked me if the train would be going to Euclid Avenue, and then seemed extremely perplexed at how long the commute was taking.  “They’ll be very angry with me,” she said.  “I’m coming so late, they’ll be very angry.”  I asked her who, and she explained to me that she was living with a family, and although she was paying rent to them she also did all of the cooking, cleaning, shopping, and took care of their children.  She was frightened of what they would do to her when she came home so late.  “It’s very bad miss, very bad.”  She asked if she could come live with me.  She didn’t have a phone, so I gave her my cell phone number and some change for a payphone and promised that when she called I would make sure someone helped her.

She never called.  This young woman was lucky because she was at least able to leave the house for chores.  But so dependent on a permanent address to secure her immigration status…she might as well have been trapped.