When a friend offered Bolgan* a chance to leave the slums of Mongolia’s capital city to go and work in Belgium, she jumped at the chance.

She was unemployed and didn’t feel as though life in Ulan Bator had much to offer. When her friend told her about life in Belgium it seemed like paradise in comparison.

Mongolia already has well established migrant links to Belgium. Antwerp has been home to a dynamic Mongolian community for years. Meanwhile Brussels promoted Mongolian arts, food and music at its 2009 Christmas market.

Bolgan’s experience was a lot better than most migrants’. Through her friend she immediately had a job and place to stay with a wealthy family. She worked as a maid for the family for three years and earned 800 euros a month. This was more than she would have earned in Mongolia, yet the situation was precarious as Bolgan didn’t have the documents necessary to reside legally in Belgium.

After three years, the family could no longer afford to pay Bolgan. Caritas International in Belgium helped her navigate through the Government’s voluntary return programme. Caritas helps migrants wishing to return home by providing information and legal advice, helping them find a home and employment once they return and by helping them with costs they might encounter.

Caritas urges the UN to ensure that domestic work is recognised and regulated. Complaints mechanisms and compensation schemes should be set up for workers in case their rights are violated.

Migrant Domestic workers should be able to stay in another country for work without being tied to one employer and thus dependent on them. Caritas is working towards the International Labour Conference in June 2010 where a draft convention on the rights of domestic workers will be presented.

Bolgan was lucky compared to some of the other migrants who have returned to their homeland from Belgium.

One young couple told Caritas how they lost all their savings to traffickers when they chose to go to Europe. The traffickers confiscated their passports and took them overland from Mongolia to Belgium.

The traffickers forced the couple to pick-pocket and steal in shops. They were soon arrested by the Belgian Police but released when they said they would voluntarily return home. Like Bolgan, the couple received help from Caritas International Belgium and Caritas Mongolia to go back to their own country.

*Name changed to protect identity.