Justice for Domestic Workers J4DW
On assignment for Swedish trade union newspaper Kommunalarbetaren together with reporter Pernilla Josefsson we did a reportage about Justice for Domestic Workers (J4DW) a self-help group for Migrant Domestic Workers campaigning for their rights and welfare in the UK, they represent around 500 members. J4DW are a self-organised branch of Unite the Union and we spent the day with the group and its co-founder and spokesperson Marissa Begoniain.
J4Dw were represented at the Global Migration Forum at the United Nations, New York in 2013, they are also currently active in campaigning for domestic worker visa rights. The group also participated in a public discussion and art workshop hosted by Tate Modern, together with The Showroom, a gallery supporting artistic community projects.
The first thing I thought when listening to Marissa’s story was how does she find the time? she herself is a full time domestic worker and her duties at J4DW are pretty much a full time job as well. The group meet up on a Sunday which for most is their only free day. It is a social occasion, they also receive English, computer, art & dance lessons – on our visit they were practising the ‘Zumba’ dance, they had fun and as Pernilla wrote “The laughter was as loud as the music”. Lunch followed with everyone bringing a homemade dish.
