Trafficking in the Domestic-Work Sector in the Netherlands: A Hidden Phenomenon

Abstract

This article seeks to contribute to the anti-trafficking debate by exposing shortcomings in the policy framework applicable to the domestic-work sector in the Netherlands, a sector wherein workers are at risk of trafficking. The findings are the result of qualitative research (desktop research, case analysis, and in-depth interviews), conducted in 2015. Based on the analysis, it will be shown that the current policy framework fosters rather than alleviates the vulnerability of domestic workers for THB (trafficking of human beings), and therewith, the author calls upon the Dutch government to remedy these policies as part of their responsibility to prevent THB.