The Trafficker Next Door : How Household Employers Exploit Domestic Workers

The phrase "human trafficking" often conjures nightmarish images of sexual exploitation but Rhacel Salazar Parre�as reveals that the majority of trafficking victims are domestic workers-who suffer abuse at the hands of "ordinary" family employers. Drawing on twenty years of research across three continents, Parre�as exposes the grim realities faced by migrant workers ensnared in forced labour due to poverty and debt bondage. She uncovers how entrenched social and legal norms, coupled with a patronising "employer saviour complex", foster a troubling sense of ownership among employers over "their" domestic workers. Through powerful firsthand accounts, Parre�as illustrates migrants' desperation and the power dynamics that often lead to modern-day slavery. Parre�as's urgent narrative challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths about everyday household arrangements and calls for justice and fair treatment for all workers.