Gendered Migration & Labour Laws

Brief

Service Proposal

Approach for the Project

Understand

Discover

Define

Develop

Features of the Application

About: Millions of women globally serve as household workers, with over 146,000 migrating from India to the UAE for employment. Despite their vital role in the economy, these women face exploitation and lack workplace rights. Aiming to empower them, a project proposes a mobile app intervention, providing support and resources to ensure safer migration experiences and quicker assistance in times of need.

This Project was undertaken as part of the Final Undergraduate Research Thesis for my Bachelor’s degree 2019-2023. The project is interdisciplinary and is in collaboration with the Department of International Relations and the Department of Design at Shiv Nadar University, India.

Mentors: Dr. Subhajit Chandra & Dr. Shruthi Muraleedharan

Project Timeline: August 2022 - April 2023

Tools Used: Figma, Adobe XD, Miro, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop

Skills: Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, User Research, User Journey Mapping, Service Blueprinting, Prototyping

Brief

Service Proposal

The mobile application digital service ‘Maitreyi’ (friend) - In your migration journey has been conceptualized and prototyped according to the holistic the approach was taken by the Ministry of External Affairs for the welfare and protection of Indians abroad.

Approach for the Project

Understand

Discover

Define

Develop

The mobile application ‘Maitreyi’ (friend) - In your migration journey has been conceptualized and prototyped according to the holistic the approach was taken by the Ministry of External Affairs for the welfare and protection of Indians abroad.

Features of the Application

It aims to be a single point of information and contact for workers traveling abroad to Gulf countries and to ensure the safety of Malayali female migrant domestic workers migrating to UAE. The app has some special features such as the SOS helpline button, which is available in multiple Indian regional languages, easy to use for those having basic digital literacy, and country-specific and occupation-specific information for the workers.
The application also serves as a digital locker for the workers to store their important travel documents, which would also be accessible by governments of both (origin & destination) countries. Hence, the design intervention aims to enable and empower migrant women workers to ensure their rights and safety by taking greater control over their migration journeys.

Deliver

Prototype

The prototype was shared with the experts of CIMS Kerala to help out with user testing.

The prototype was tested with 4 Malayli Female migrant Workers who were planning their migration to UAE.

Due to time and locational constraints, the project is gradually moving forward to propose the solution to the Ministry of External Affairs, India, and other stakeholders to get expert feedback and opinions.

Conclusion

The project offered invaluable insights into the challenges faced by migrant women workers and the potential of design interventions to create meaningful change. It emphasized the importance of empathy, research-driven design, and collaboration to address complex social issues. By providing a digital platform for empowerment and assistance, the project aimed to improve the lives of female migrant domestic workers and contribute to the broader dialogue on migrant worker rights and protections.

Final Thesis Report of the Project

Thesis_Nitya Mathur_ 1910110262 .pdf

Reflections

Challenges

Sensitivity and Trauma: Working with individuals who have experienced traumatic exploitation requires extreme sensitivity. The project needed to create a safe and supportive environment for these women to share their stories and engage with the app's features without triggering additional emotional distress.
Complex Systemic Issue: Addressing the exploitation of female migrant domestic workers within the framework of the Kafala System involved navigating a complex web of legal, cultural, and economic factors. The project needed to grapple with deeply entrenched practices that perpetuated abuse.

Learnings

Empathy and User-Centered Design: To develop an effective solution, the project required a deep understanding of the experiences and challenges faced by female migrant domestic workers. This emphasis on empathy and user-centered design ensured that the proposed mobile application catered to the specific needs and limitations of the target users. Developing a digital locker for important travel documents highlighted the criticality of ensuring data security and privacy. The project emphasized the need for robust encryption and measures to protect users' sensitive information.
Understanding Systemic Issues: The project involved delving into the systemic issues surrounding the migration of Malayali women to the UAE and the exploitation they faced due to the Kafala System. This learning highlighted the need to address not only the immediate challenges but also the broader structural problems affecting these women.

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