Migrant care workers are speaking out against the exploitation and abuse they’ve experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and calling for change, including full and permanent status for all.

Behind Closed Doors: Exposing Migrant Care Worker Exploitation During COVID-19 is based on surveys of over 200 migrant care workers across Canada. It is authored by the Caregivers Action Centre, Vancouver Committee for Domestic Worker and Caregiver Rights, Caregiver Connection Education and Support Organization and Migrant Workers Alliance for Change. It is endorsed by the Alberta Careworkers Association, PINAY Quebec, Migrante Canada, Migrante Alberta, and Association for the Rights of Household and Farm Workers (ADDPD/ARHW).

Some of the key findings are:

• Over one in three respondents lost their jobs during COVID-19 and were forced to move out and try to find new work. Of them, one in three reported problems accessing income supports.
• One in two respondents that were still working during COVID-19 reported longer hours of work, 40 percent of whom did not receive compensation for additional hours worked.
• One in 3 survey respondents reported  being forbidden by their employers to leave the house, take public transit, buy groceries, send remittances to families abroad or visit doctors during COVID-19. Workers were barred from meeting with friends or partners.

Accompanying the report is a video of six migrant care workers telling their stories.

Read the whole report here and find out how to take action.