Care, Migration and Human Rights: Law and Practice

This book addresses the specific position of domestic workers in the context of evolving human rights norms.

Human rights law has somewhat belatedly begun to address the structured inequalities and exclusions that define the domain of domestic work. The continuum of exploitation that has historically defined the everyday of domestic work - exclusion from employment and social security standards and precarious migration status – have frequently been neglected. However, as in other areas of international law, it is primarily the moments of crisis, incidents of human trafficking, slavery or forced labour, that have captured the attention of human rights law.

Drawing upon a broad range of case studies, Care, Migration and Human Rights presents a thorough examination of key issues such as the commodification of care, the impact of the jurisprudence of the CJEU and the European Court of Human Rights on ‘primary care providers’, as well as the effect that trends in migration law have on migrant domestic workers. In addition to the question of how migration status impacts upon the effective realisation of rights, the editors also explore wider problems such as the continuing gendered division of labour and the absence of state or societal supports.

This volume will be of interest to lawyers, academics and policy makers in the fields of human rights, migration, and gender studies.