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UCL Laws (Moot Court)
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About this event
UCL Faculty of Laws invite you to an event to launch the report βDignity, not destitution: the impact of differential rights of work for migrant domestic workers referred to the National Referral Mechanismβ published by the migrant domestic worker charity Kalayaan in collaboration with the UCL Faculty of Laws. The report addresses the impact of denying permission to work to migrant domestic workers with outstanding trafficking or modern slavery claims before the Home Office.
Once migrant workers are identified as potential victims of trafficking / modern slavery, they must wait for a final decision on their status, which can take months or even years. During this period of waiting, only those whose original six month visa was still valid at the date of the first decision have permission to work while waiting for the later decision. Those who receive confirmation that they are potential victims but get that initial decisionΒ after their visa has expired do not have permission to work, and must survive on state support of just Β£35 per week.
Kalayaanβs research draws on interviews with 21 migrant domestic workers to explore the impact of this differential scheme.Β It reveals that those denied permission to work are drawn into destitution and pressurised into entering informal and exploitative work, and their families overseas suffer. Based on the report, Kalayaan has written an open letter to the Immigration Minister asking her to review this hostile policy and allow workers to live in dignity, not destitution, by letting them work, which will assist in their recovery and help their loved ones.
The event will present and discuss the reportβs main findings, take questions and comments on its content, and facilitate a constructive discussion of the best routes to implementation of its recommendations.
About the speakers
Speakers at the event will include:
Further speakers tbc.
There will also be a recorded message from Urmila Bhoola, UN Special Rapporteur on Slavery. The event will be chaired by Virginia Mantouvalou, Professor of Human Rights and Labour Law at UCL and Kalayaan trustee.
The event will be followed by networking and refreshments.