Carmel Maria Foster, an immigrant, former domestic worker, and author, writes about her experience living in the United States of America, in her latest book, The Awakening – Story of a South African American 9781078780742. Foster faced a lot of struggles right from her childhood, but she was never ready to face what was waiting for her on foreign land. Her struggles only got worse when she came to the US, in hopes of living out her American dream, which is a sham. Foster’s divorce left her homeless and her experience at the family court was worse than she could have ever imagined. There was no justice served. As she was struggling to get back on her feet, Foster took up a job as a domestic worker, where she faced more abuse and violence. She managed to take her employer and abuser to court, but the authorities were already fed enough money to stay quiet. And once again, the justice system had failed Foster. She began to realize that the system was never built to serve justice to her, it was corrupt and infected.
Unfortunately, Foster is not the only one to face such injustices in the US. Many immigrants and domestic workers face racism, oppression, and violence, all the while, the authorities turn a blind eye. In the following excerpts, the Human Rights Watch reports the abuse that migrant domestic workers face in the country:
The special visas granted to foreigners who work as household domestics in the U.S. leave them vulnerable to serious abuse, Human Rights Watch charged in Hidden in the Home: Abuse of Domestic Workers with Special Visas in the United States.
Thousands of these workers, typically women, enter the United States every year to work for diplomats, officials of international organizations, foreign businesspeople, and U.S. citizens temporarily back in the U.S. from their homes abroad. In the fifty-six-page report, Human Rights Watch documents the cases of dozens of workers but believes that many more are exposed to some form of abuse.
"Often these employers come from a powerful, elite class, and they are abusing the rights of some of the most powerless," said Carol Pier, a researcher for the U.S. Program of Human Rights Watch and author of the report. "This is a serious human rights abuse in the United States, but it has remained largely hidden from public view. This has to stop."
The most effective recourse for workers in abusive employment relationships is to change jobs. But under U.S. law, these workers' visas are tied to their employers and in most cases, they cannot legally change employers. If they leave, they lose immigration status and can be deported.
In about ten percent of the cases that Human Rights Watch reviewed, workers were trafficking victims. Employers lured the workers to the United States with false promises about their employment conditions and then held them in servitude. These women worked long hours, up to nineteen per day, and were often paid less than $100 per month. They were rarely allowed outside and were prohibited from speaking to strangers. Some were physically or sexually abused.
In the cases, Human Rights Watch reviewed, the average hourly wage was $2.14, from which deductions for room and board might, according to U.S. law, still be made. The average workday was fourteen hours. Most of the workers were not allowed to leave their employers' homes without permission, and most were only allowed to leave on their one day off per week-Sunday.
Workers who want to publicly complain face many obstacles. Most workers do not speak English and do not know where to go or how to complain. If a worker complains while still with her employer, she risks being fired and losing her legal immigration status. If she complains once she has left the employer, she is already undocumented and risks discovery by the Immigration and Naturalization Service and deportation.
Even workers who sue or press charges against their employers might not find justice. The INS is not required to allow the workers to remain in the U.S. to have their day in court. Even if they are allowed to stay, the INS may deny them the right to work. Since they are also ineligible for federal public benefits, such as welfare and food assistance, survival during this time may be exceedingly difficult.
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