A Migrant Domestic Worker’s Fight for Rights and Justice in the UK By Marigold

My name is Marigold Balquen. This is my story and my call for justice In 2013, I made the hardest decision of my life, I escaped from an abusive employer in the UK, hoping for safety and dignity. Instead, I found myself undocumented and terrified. One of thousands of domestic workers forced to survive in the shadows because the very law that once protected us had been taken away. Before 2012, the Overseas Domestic Worker Visa gave women like me the right to leave abusive employers, find new work, and rebuild our lives. It offered safety, freedom, and a pathway out of exploitation.

But when the UK removed these protections, countless migrant domestic workers were trapped, stripped of basic rights and left vulnerable to abuse, fear, and modern slavery. I know this pain all too well. In 2015, desperate for community and hope, I joined The Voice of Domestic Workers, a self-organised group of migrant domestic workers campaigning for rights and welfare in the UK. There, I found my voice again. I rebuilt my confidence. I used my experience to help sisters still suffering. I became a campaigner, supporting others to escape abuse and raising our collective voice for justice.

But the dangers did not end. In 2018, I was arrested because of my undocumented status, a terrifying ordeal that only happened because the government had removed the protections that once allowed us to change employer and renew the ODW visa.

I spent nearly five years in the National Referral Mechanism, being assessed as a potential victim of modern slavery and trafficking. I was eventually recognised as a survivor, yet I was still forbidden to work and left in years of uncertainty, fear, and limbo. In 2024, I was finally granted leave to remain in the UK but only for two years. Now, as my permit nears its end, my life is once again hanging by a thread. All the old fears have returned. I must fight again just to stay in the country I now call home. My story is not unique.

Thousands of migrant domestic workers are denied protection because the government abolished the original Overseas Domestic Worker Visa. Without this law, we are denied justice, denied safety, and denied the chance to rebuild our lives. Yet I refuse to give up. Programmes like Future Voices and Future Voices Revolution at The Voice of Domestic Workers have empowered me to share my story, support others, and demand a fairer system. Because we are not just survivors, we are sisters, campaigners, and leaders. We are determined to win back our rights.

 Restore the Pre-201Overseas Domestic Worker Visa ( Right to change employer without restrictions, Right to renew the ODW Visa, Right to settlement and right to British citizenship)

You have the power to help. Listen to our stories. Share them. Stand with us as we demand the restoration of the pre-2012 Overseas Domestic Worker Visa—so no one is forced to choose between abuse and homelessness, and every domestic worker can live and work in safety.

Support organisations like The Voice of Domestic Workers. Write to your MP (a template letter is available on the VODW website). Add your voice to ours so we can bring back a visa that offers real protection—not fear, not uncertainty, but dignity and hope.

I am Marigold. This is my story. With your support, it can become a story of justice, safety, and restored rights for every domestic worker in the UK. Thank you for standing with us, for believing in change, and for fighting to restore the Overseas Domestic Worker Visa.

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Join Us in Supporting Migrant Domestic Workers Escaping Abuse DONATE HERE 

Migrant domestic workers who have fled abusive employment urgently need your help. They’ve left behind exploitation and are taking brave steps toward safety but they need support for basic needs like shelter, food, clothing, and counseling.

 "With your donation, we can provide immediate relief and a pathway to rebuilding lives in dignity and safety."