The strong demand for women's domestic, caring, and sexual labor in contemporary Europe promotes migrations from many parts of the world. This article examines the history of concepts that marginalize these as unproductive services (and not really "work") and questions why the west accepts the semifeudal conditions and lack of regulations pertaining to this sector. I argue that the moral panic over trafficking and the limited feminist debate on "prostitution" contribute to a climate that ignores the social problems of the majority of women migrants.

Working Paper No.8 of the ILO Gender Promotion programme.

To identify critical issues of concern to women migrant domestic workers and to determine the extent of their vulnerability, the ILO has been analyzing the situation in several regions. These studies reveal practices and patterns that are the key causes of the vulnerability of women domestic migrant workers and suggest effective alternative strategies. This publication presents an ILO regional review and four country studies from the Arab States: Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon and United Arab Emirates. It is based on several years of collaborative work (2000-2004) between in-country researchers, the ILO Regional Office in Arab States, International Migration Programme (MIGRANT) and Gender Promotion Programme (GENPROM) in ILO headquarters.

Report of the Special Rapporteur, Ms. Gabriela Rodríguez Pizarro, submitted pursuant to Commission on Human Rights resolution 2003/46