OVERVIEW
HCRI webinar with Marissa Begonia (co-founder of 'The Voice of Domestic Workers') and Dr Natalie Sedacca (Durham Law School).
To mark the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery, HCRI will host a webinar on 'Modern Slavery and Human Rights in the UK: The case of domestic workers'.
Register via: https://hcri-Dec2026.eventbrite.co.uk
The Zoom link will be sent to registrants.
ABOUT
Marissa Begonia will present about the experiences of migrant domestic workers in the UK, sharing workers' experiences of exploitation and modern slavery, as well as the work done by The Voice of Domestic Workers to rescue victims of modern slavery, educate, and empower domestic workers.
Dr Natalie Sedacca will discuss issues raised in her latest book - ‘Human Rights and the Protection of Domestic Workers in Labour and Migration Law’, such as the exclusion of private homes from labour inspection; the devaluation of domestic work and low pay; and how restrictive labour regimes can risk domestic workers becoming irregular.
SPEAKERS
Marissa Begonia is a domestic worker and founding member of The Voice of Domestic Workers (VODW), which provides education and campaigns for over 20,000 workers with an Overseas Domestic Workers Visa.
Marissa is originally from the Philippines and has been a Community Organiser and Campaigner for justice and rights for migrant domestic workers in England since 2009. She has been helping domestic workers flee abusive families (employers) and find safety. VODW has recently built a domestic workers branch in Unite the Union (Unite-Domestic workers Branch 9225), first in Europe and first migrant branch in the world.
Natalie Sedacca is Associate Professor in Employment Law at Durham Law School. Her research focuses on human rights and labour law, with a particular interest in marginalised workers and in issues of gender and migration.
Natalie is currently a co-lead in a six-month project funded by the ESRC Connect Scheme called 'Researching the Hidden Workforce: A National Connective and Capacity-Building Initiative for Platform Labour Studies'.
PRACTAL
Webinar, via Zoom (link sent to registrants)
2.30pm - 3.45pm (UK / GMT)
Wed 2nd Dec 2026
HOSTS
HCRI is a research and teaching centre for the study of humanitarianism and conflict response, global health, international disaster management and peacebuilding, based at University of Manchester.
https://www.hcri.manchester.ac.uk/
