Catherine does not feel safe. She hasn’t since she came to the UK four years ago to work in the household of a wealthy, Middle Eastern family. And her experience with the government’s programme for survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery has done little to make that feeling go away.
Catherine entered the UK on the Overseas Domestic Worker (ODW) visa, which prohibits holders from changing employers or extending their stay if they leave their employer. These restrictions, which Theresa May put into place as home secretary in 2012, can and do trap domestic workers into abusive and exploitative employment.
For months, Catherine said, she was verbally abused, made to eat off the kitchen floor, and had her pay withheld. She worked constantly, without days off. Eventually a neighbour helped her to escape and find support from a charity. From there she turned to the government for help.
