My name is Dotty Fernandes. I am Indian and a British citizen. I am 70 years old. I came to the UK in April 2006 and my job involved caring, cleaning, and child care. I worked as a domestic worker and through this job, I was able to provide a good education and a good future for my son. But the price of my sacrifices was too hard to bear. While working as a domestic worker in private household, I was abused and treated like a slave. I was not given food, not allowed to use the dishwasher, not allowed to use the radiator. I was asked to wear worn-out clothes by my employer. I was not allowed to use a glass to drink water – and was given a jam jar. I was told it was because I was only a maid.

I also had to sleep in the basements of the building, I was not given a key to the house. One night this employer threw me out of the house without paying me my salary. There was one person who helped; Sarbjit Johal whom I met in The Voice of Domestic Workers, who helped to sort out my problem so I wouldn't be homeless. I won the battle and now I have a house to live. Today, I am living a simple life but I am happy and at peace. I learned to fight back against all these abuses. I was lucky to have my rights as a worker, I was able to leave any abusive employment.

I have been at the frontline of the campaign of The Voice of Domestic Workers. I attended the classes and training and I believe there is no age limit to learning. This is why I am here in ‘Future Voices’ I still want to learn new things and be more digital.