‘Modern-day slavery’: Kenyan domestic workers tell of abuse in Saudi Arabia

Kenyan women are trained as domestic workers the East African Institute of Homecare Management to prepare them for jobs in Saudi Arabia. Photograph: Joost Bastmeijer/The Guardian

When Joy Simiyu left Kenya for a new job as a domestic worker in Saudi Arabia, she believed her life was about to take a turn for the better. While the 25-year-old had never envisioned herself making a living through housework, her dreams had grown distant after she dropped out of college due to financial pressure.

“I was desperate for a job,” said Simiyu, one of a growing number of Kenyans who travel to the Gulf to seek work, pushed out by the country’s high unemployment rates.