We Have Rights We Have Dignity and We Will Not Stop Until the World Hears Us By Rolyn Oyanib

I have been a domestic worker for six to ten years, beginning my journey in May 2019. Each morning, I start my day at seven o'clock, carrying with me the same conviction I bring to everything: that the work I do has value, that I have value, and that neither of those things should be in question.

My deepest source of strength is my family. And on the hardest days, it is the memory of why I started, and what I am working toward, that keeps me going. That clarity of purpose is not something I stumbled upon. It is something I have held tightly through years of navigating a system that does not always make space for domestic workers to stand fully upright.

What I want the world to know I say directly and with conviction. I must be respected and treated well. Not occasionally, and not only when I perform perfectly. Always, and because I am a human being doing essential work. This message is one I want employers, governments, the public, and the media to receive, and it applies equally to all of them.

I am completely hopeful that things will improve for domestic workers, and I am equally confident that the world has the capacity to understand the dignity of this profession. That kind of hope, held over years of actual experience, is not naïve. It is earned. It comes from seeing what is possible when people come together, speak clearly, and refuse to be invisible.

The rights I believe must be restored are the full set: the right to change employer without restrictions, the right to renew the ODW Visa, the right to stay and settle, and the right to apply for British Citizenship. Of these, the one I identify as having hurt domestic workers most is the inability to renew the visa. I rate its importance to daily life as life-changing. The urgency of restoring pre-2012 rights: the maximum.

These campaigns are at the heart of what VODW is doing, and I understand why each one matters. The right to change employer without restrictions is life-changing because it means safety. A worker who knows she can leave a harmful situation without losing her legal status is a worker who can stand up for herself. The right to renew the ODW Visa is life-changing because continuity is what makes a life possible rather than just a series of short-term arrangements.

I spend thirteen hours each week worrying about my job and visa situation. That is more than two full working days given over to anxiety, to contingency planning, to the weight of uncertainty. Restoring these rights would not just improve my legal position. It would give back that time and that mental energy to be used for living rather than simply surviving.

If these rights came back, I would feel very happy and free. That word, freedom, comes up again and again among domestic workers, and it always means the same thing: the freedom to work without fear, to speak without shame, to plan without uncertainty. I have been working toward that freedom for years. VODW walks that road with me. My voice, strong and certain, is part of what makes this movement move.

---

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."