Protecting Migrant Domestic Workers
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Migrant workers make up nearly 20 percent of all domestic workers. And in Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, the number is much higher.
Close to 20 percent of all domestic workers are migrant workers, according to the International Labour Organization. Most of these domestic workers are women, and they are particularly common in Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia.
Kenya sends a lot of domestic workers to Gulf countries. More than half of the over 87,784 Kenyans employed in the Middle East since 2019 have been domestic workers.
But many women returning from this work describe horrific circumstances, particularly in Saudi Arabia. And in an alarming number of cases, death.
On today’s episode of the Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women, reporter Pauline Ongaji talks with Kenyan women who have returned from domestic work in Saudi Arabia. Then host Reena Ninan speaks with Caroline Kasina from the Solidarity Center in Kenya and Ruth Khakame from the Kudheiha domestic workers union about their efforts to organize Kenyan domestic workers in Gulf states.
About The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women (HERO): Could empowering women in the workplace be the simplest way to boost the global economy? Host Reena Ninan talks to women around the world changing the status quo in surprising ways to improve their lives, their families, and ultimately, the world. The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women (HER♀) is a Foreign Policy podcast supported in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. HER♀ listeners can learn more about these topics by signing up for special access to an FP Analytics policy brief on gender equality. Sign up by clicking here. See All Episodes
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