Family Slammed for Complaining That 'Indentured Servant' Ran Away

An anonymous user was scrutinized for complaining that a domestic worker they hired to take care of their bedridden uncle "ran away" after not being allowed to visit her children.

The original post was reshared by u/private256 in Reddit's popular "Antiwork" forum where it received more than 22,000 upvotes and 2,700 comments. The post can be found here.

Domestic Workers Around the World

Although it is unclear which country the OP is from, foreign domestic workers or migrant workers are common around the world.

According to the nonprofit organization Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing there are an estimated 76 million domestic workers around the world, making up more than two percent of the world's total employment.

More than 70 percent of domestic workers are female, with many doing work for private households. The majority of the domestic workers do not have access to labor protections, often leading to poor pay and few benefits.

In San Francisco, the Board of Supervisors passed a law in December that would allow for domestic workers such as nannies, gardeners and house cleaners to get paid sick leave.

WIEGO reports more than half of domestic workers are located in East and South-eastern Asia, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Original Post

The original post, titled "FDW [foreign domestic worker] ran away. What do I do now?" the anonymous Redditor explained that they hired a helper for their grandmother and bedridden uncle.

"She has her own room, off days twice a month, we compensate her financially," the post read.

The OP said the woman had been working for them for less than six months and hasn't paid half of "what she owes," adding that they spent nearly $7,000 to get her to their home.

Recently, the woman mentioned that she wanted to go see her children who were alone with her elderly parents since her husband died a few years prior.

"We told her we would pay for her air ticket back, she just needs to hang in there while we wait for the new FDW arriving in 2-3 weeks," the post read.

The OP said the woman agreed but "indirectly asked" if they could cover the money she owes "the agency."

"Of course we said no," the post read.

'A Police Report Was Made'

"This morning, my grandma woke up to find her gone," the post read.

"Her [passport's] with us and she has a fair bit of belongings left behind."

The family filed a police report and was informed that the woman was staying at a home.

"It seems she wants to run away and not pay whatever she owes the agency," the post read. "How do we proceed now?"

The post was reshared in Reddit's popular "antiwork" forum, where it went viral.

"OP employees a domestic worker, seizes her passport, give her two off days in a month, refuses to allow her visit her children. And then complains she 'ran away,'" the post read.

Redditor Reactions

More than 2,700 users commented on the post, many criticizing the original post and mentioning that it is illegal to hold someone's passport.

"Holding someone's passport is textbook human trafficking," one user commented.

"Came here to say this, it is literally in the book to look out for and one of the items that leads to human trafficking charges," another commented. "Withholding pay and stealing the passports (for safekeeping of course, I'm sure /s) is 2/4 for human trafficking, iirc."

"Wow, yeah this is slavery pure and simple," another user wrote. "They are pissed that their slave made a run for freedom."

"Human trafficked person doesn't want to be held captive? Shocker," another wrote.

"AITA for expecting an indentured servant to be loyal?" one user commented.

While illegal in the United States, indentured servitude is still often practiced in countries around the world. Indentured servants are individuals who are held due to a debt they owe.

Newsweek reached out to u/private256 for comment.

Other Viral Moments

Last month, an anonymous Redditor went viral after posting about the time their boss refused to let them off work to help a friend who was a victim of domestic violence.

Another anonymous poster went viral after their boss told them to cancel their gym membership.