Video : What is Domestic Servitude?

What is Domestic Servitude?

1 / 10

What is domestic servitude?

Voluntary domestic work with a contract

Forced labor in private households under exploitative conditions

Cleaning services provided by agencies

Household work done by family members

2 / 10

Why is domestic servitude difficult to detect?

It occurs mainly in public spaces

It is often carried out by registered companies

It takes place inside private homes, hidden from oversight

Victims frequently report it themselves

3 / 10

Who makes up the majority of victims of domestic servitude?

Adult men

Children under 5

Women and girls, especially migrant women

Workers in agriculture

4 / 10

In most of the cases domestic workers are living in the perpetrator’s household

True

False

5 / 10

Which global trend is contributing to the re-emergence of a “servant economy”?

Decrease in household tasks

Equal pay reform

Outsourcing domestic tasks through gig-economy platforms

Universal social protection for domestic workers

6 / 10

Domestic servitude only happens to women and girls

True

False

7 / 10

Most domestic workers globally have full social security protections

True

False

8 / 10

Diplomatic households have been implicated in cases of domestic servitude

True

False

9 / 10

Domestic servitude occurs only in low-income countries

True

False

10 / 10

Which of the following is not a common form of domestic servitude?

In-home childcare and elder care

Household labor such as cooking and cleaning

Fairly regulated au-pair exchanges

Child domestic servitude

Your score is

The average score is 0%

More Resources

Rose, A. L., Howard, L. M., Zimmerman, C., & Oram, S. (2020). A Cross-sectional Comparison of the Mental Health of People Trafficked to the UK for Domestic Servitude, for Sexual Exploitation and for Labor Exploitation. Journal of Human Trafficking, 7(3), 258–267. https://doi.org/10.1080/23322705.2020.1728495

ECHR (2025). Domestic servitude.

OHCHR (2018). The unspoken servitude of women domestic workers | OHCHR

European Parliament (2011). Abused domestic workers in Europe: The case of au pairs

U.S. Department of State. 2025 Trafficking in Persons Report

The Freedom Fund (2025). Slavery Research Bulletin | Freedom Fund

Krenz et. All (2025). The return of domestic servants – thanks to AI and automation

Bown, B., Stillman, O., Henderson, C. (2024). Domestic Servitude. In: Fiander, A., Lasonder, J. (eds) Health and Slavery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48319-6_10

Thi AM, Zimmerman C, Pocock NS, Chan CW, Ranganathan M. Child domestic work, violence, and health outcomes: a rapid systematic review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;19(1) https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010427.

Mullally S. Migrant Domestic Workers and Continuums of Exploitation: Beyond the Limits of Antitrafficking Laws. AJIL Unbound. 2017;111:498-503. doi:10.1017/aju.2018.24

Rose, A. L., Howard, L. M., Zimmerman, C., & Oram, S. (2020). A Cross-sectional Comparison of the Mental Health of People Trafficked to the UK for Domestic Servitude, for Sexual Exploitation and for Labor Exploitation. Journal of Human Trafficking, 7(3), 258–267. https://doi.org/10.1080/23322705.2020.1728495

Humblet M, Hult L. The right to rest for domestic workers—setting a floor. In: International Labour Organisation. Geneva; 2015.

Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (2004). Domestic slavery: servitude, au pairs and mail-order brides

Liarou, E. (2015). ‘Pink Slave’ or the ‘Modern Young Woman’? A History of the Au Pair in Britain. In: Cox, R. (eds) Au Pairs’ Lives in Global Context. Migration, Diasporas and Citizenship Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137377487_2

Rosana Garciandia, Domestic Servitude and Diplomatic Immunity: The Decision of the UK Supreme Court in Basfar v Wong, Industrial Law Journal, Volume 52, Issue 2, June 2023, Pages 451–462, https://doi.org/10.1093/indlaw/dwad010

OSCE (2011). Unprotected Work, Invisible Exploitation: Trafficking for the Purpose of Domestic Servitude.

Author(s): IRC Anti-Trafficking Response

Publish Date: 2025

Language: