Domestic servitude is a particularly difficult form of slavery to detect due to the fact that it occurs in private residences away from the public’s eye. Usually, victims of domestic servitude will be forced to live with and work for their enslaver. He or she is typically extremely underpaid or not paid at all in order to keep him or her trapped in slavery. Oftentimes, these individuals will be disguised as nannies or house cleaners in order to trick other people into thinking there is nothing wrong that needs to be reported.
Because domestic servitude occurs in secrecy, workers are easily subjected to various forms of abuse and harassment.
In some instances, the victims of domestic servitude are immigrants who have their passports and other official documents taken away by their enslaver to prevent them from leaving. This can easily lead to their domestic servitude becoming a form of debt bondage, (bonded labor) in which the domestic servants must pay off their travelling fees from their home country. This debt builds with time, and more fees are levied for necessities like food, water, and housing.
“If you believe you are the victim of a trafficking situation or may have information about a potential trafficking situation, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) at 1-888-373-7888. NHTRC is a national, toll-free hotline, with specialists available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year related to potential trafficking victims, suspicious behaviors, and/or locations where trafficking is suspected to occur.
https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/civil-rights/human-trafficking
You can also submit a tip on the NHTRC website.”
Sources:
http://www.endslaverynow.org/learn/slavery-today/domestic-servitude
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https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/infographic
