Rights corner
Domestic work or domestic slavery?
This question was addressed in a panel discussion as part of a larger event on the 'Situation of Domestic Workers in Austria - Employment of Human Trafficking for Forced Labour', organized by the Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT) at the Vienna International Centre recently.
Senior Austrian Government officials informed United Nations and diplomatic staff about the legal provisions concerning the employment of domestic workers and the measures taken by the Government to combat human trafficking. Ambassador Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger, the National Coordinator on Combating Human Trafficking, emphasized that this issue was taken very seriously by the Austrian Foreign Ministry, saying: 'Perpetrators need to be prosecuted. We will find ways to prosecute and diplomatic immunity should never be used to protect the perpetrators.'
Civil Society representatives highlighted the need for more awareness raising about the issue of human trafficking for the purpose of servitude and discussed the numerous indicators used to determine an exploitative situation in the area of domestic work.After the panel discussion, the First Women's Chamber Orchestra of Austria together with the dancer, Fabiana Pastorini, whose personal history is closely linked to the topic as her own grandmother was sold to a private household as a domestic slave, performed a moving piece called 'On the way to Freedom'. In continuation, Mr. Antonio Maria Costa, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna, and Ambassador Böck of the Austrian Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Vienna addressed the audience to officially open the exhibition 'Esclavage domestique'. "All too often the perpetrators hide behind diplomatic immunity. I am ashamed to say that there have even been such cases here in Vienna", said Mr. Costa.
He called on UN staff who have hired help to "make sure that they are being treated fairly, paid a competitive salary with social assistance, and that their rights are respected." He further cautioned: "If you witness cases of labour exploitation, please bring it to the attention of the Austrian authorities".
"Let us strengthen international efforts to address this problem - to reduce vulnerability to this crime, to ensure that the captors are brought to justice, and the victims receive compensation", said Mr. Costa in his concluding remarks.
Source: Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN.GIFT).
