A sharp sun shines in a clear blue sky over miles of palm trees as far as the eye can see, and the road winds to meet the sea. One wonders why anyone would leave this slice of paradise, yet that is the reality of hundreds and thousands of women who leave by droves and migrate to other cities and countries for work, predominantly as domestic workers. 

Migration is a pathway to prosperity for millions. India is the largest sender of international migrants globally and therefore, also the top recipient of international remittances. 

Suvarna Mary left her children in Andhra Pradesh to move to the Gulf with her husband to earn more than the INR 200-300 she was getting as a daily wage agricultural labour. Like many other women, her aspiration was to have a house to her name and to educate her children. Sarojini was shown the promise of earning INR 25,000 every month, a stark increase from what she could make as an agricultural hand in her village, especially when there were no jobs available locally and the low education couldn’t match these earnings. 

However, migration is never an easy decision as it involves contemplating factors like childcare, elderly care, education, and building a life far away from everything one knows. Chappala Adamma was barely a woman of 20, when she lost her husband and had to fend for her small child when she saw the Gulf as the window of opportunity to become the sole breadwinner in her family. Maraiamma’s story echoes scores of other women, who migrated to escape from an abusive husband and to give her children a better life. 

Operating on a network of trust, most of these women migrate hearing from other relatives and friends who turned their fortunes around by migrating for domestic work. But what doesn’t get factored in is the personal cost that migration entails. Suvarna Mary’s employer made her work tirelessly without any breaks, proper food or time to rest. In addition, they meted out verbal and physical abuse and withheld her salary for a year, exploiting her as a migrant as she was unaware of her rights and remedies available to her. 

I went with my cousin sister’s help. I didn’t know the Arabic language or have time to eat my food. The madam gave me four people’s work. She took me to her relatives’ house to work. I wanted to come back but my employer said “We have taken you for two years so if you want to go back, you return the INR 200,000 we have paid. So, I had to stay for two years before I could leave – Swaroopa Rani, migrant domestic worker

Most of these women have not been able to complete school education and come from low-income households, which categorizes them as Emigration Clearance Required (ECR) category workers. Many of them are under 30 years of age, which restricts their mobility (due to a Government of India notification) for domestic work to only 18 countries, most of which are in West Asia. Unscrupulous middlemen, paid in advance by employers or recruitment agencies in the destination to process necessary documentation, manipulate the age on passports, and this causes scores of them to migrate on tourist visas, which get converted to employment visas in the destination, highlighting the danger of becoming undocumented workers. The employers also keep the workers’ passports with them for the duration of their “contract” which is usually two years. 

Women migrate with the understanding that they are workers, but their employers' attitude is diametrically different. Given that they pay the middlemen a hefty sum that the worker has to “pay back” with their services, the working conditions that are perpetuated are akin to slavery, bondage and even forced labour.

In Bahrain, they paid me around INR 9,000 for three months and in Kuwait, around INR 20,000, from which I had to pay for everything for myself and send money home. My employers told me that I had been ‘bought’ to work and they had paid the agent to bring me. When I was unwell, they took me to the hospital but made me pay for the medical expenses. We are not looked after properly, not given proper food and made to do a lot of work - Chappla Adamma, migrant domestic worker

With the money they sent back home, some women were able to achieve their dreams and even change their fortunes. 

From what I had earned and saved in 10 years, I could buy a small plot of land enough to build a small house – Chappla Adamma, migrant domestic worker

While others met a different fate.

I struggled a lot. The money I had earned was not accessible to me… My second employer deposited the money into my bank, but my husband squandered it on alcohol and womanizing, leaving no savings to build a house or educate my children – Suvarna Mary, migrant domestic worker

However, this is not a story of despair, but rather one of hope. 

Many of these women are first-generation migrants who spend a few years in their countries of destination. Their experiences shape their worldview, but more importantly, they help other women migrate safely. 

When Suvarana Mary returned home, she joined the Andhra Domestic Workers Union (ADWU), which is supported by the ILO's Work in Freedom programme.

Through the union, I got a lot of awareness about my rights – Suvarna Mary, migrant domestic worker

As a union member, she is actively spreading awareness about how women can safely migrate, highlighting the importance of keeping documentation with their families and utilising appropriate channels over unregistered agents. 

Swaroopa Rani is also advocating for women to know their rights about working hours, wages, weekly days off and adequate rest and food. 

With ILO's Work in Freedom programme's support I am working in the village to create awareness about government schemes for the people – Aadhar card, ration card, pension. Through the ADWU, we are also registering women as members, so they have support if they face challenges abroad and need any support or repatriation - Sarojini, former migrant domestic worker and current outreach worker supported by ILO’s WIF project.

Patriarchal norms deeply influence women's work opportunities at the local level, their access to decent work opportunities, social protection and promoting 'mobility with choice', which is understanding the risks and benefits of migration. This can prove to be more empowering than gender discriminatory restrictions instituted to prevent trafficking into forced labour conditions.