Author(s): Ahmed Diab, Abdelmoneim Metwally
This study explains the process of accountability to domestic workers and the modern-day slavery problem in the context of least-developed countries (LDC). The institutional voids perspective is proposed as a framework to explain this process. By doing so, this study sought to highlight the institutional context of today's modern-day slavery problem, where different institutions and perspectives are playing (e.g., humanitarian, technology, economic, and community), and propose an understanding of accountability in line with this context. We clarify how this institutional context shapes the accountability relationships between account holders (domestic workers) and power holders (households, governments of employers, and workers’ country of origin). We suggest that accountability in this context should be applied in its ‘holistic’ social form for the domestic workers’ problem to be resolved. This study provides insights to researchers and other stakeholders concerned with the modern-day slavery issue. It also has a social implication by highlighting the humanitarian problem of marginalized domestic workers and shedding some light on the broader society's responsibility towards it.