E/CN.4/2004/76 page 10 30. Many of these women are living outside their own country for the first time and suffer from strong cultural shock in that they are not familiar with the traditions and culture of the country of destination. Customs are very different and they have great difficulty in adapting to them. The Special Rapporteur has received information about cases of migrant domestic workers who were forbidden to practise their religion. 31. The Special Rapporteur has been informed that in many cases female migrant domestic workers work up to 19 hours per day and must be available round-the-clock, which in practice is tantamount to slavery. Many have to accompany their employer at all times and sometimes end up working for the employer’s friends or family for no extra wage. The Special Rapporteur has also been informed of cases of migrant domestic workers who have no days of rest. One of the most frequently reported violations of labour rights concerns the withholding of wages. Since the wages of female migrant domestic workers are basically low, below the minimum established by law, they are forced to work for long periods merely to pay off the debts they incurred on leaving their countries of origin. There are also many cases of unjustified dismissal, lack of paid holidays and rest time or of being forbidden to or prevented from joining a trade union. 32. The Special Rapporteur has received information about cases where employers forbid their migrant domestic workers to see a doctor when they are ill, or require them to work. She has also received information about cases involving accidents with chemical cleaning products and household appliances. Sometimes they are tested, without being informed, to check that they have no contagious diseases such as HIV and are subsequently dismissed. 33. Not all the female migrant domestic workers living in their employer’s house have suitable accommodation. Some have their own rooms, but others are forced to share a room with the children, the elderly persons they care for, or with other domestic workers, and sometimes they are forced to sleep in the kitchen or bathroom. Sometimes, to punish them, they are denied food. In other cases, they are forced to eat the leftovers from the meal of their employer and his family. 34. Employers frequently take away the identity and travel documents of migrant domestic workers on arrival.11 The lack of documents is one of the major concerns of the Special Rapporteur, since it places migrant domestic workers in a situation of complete dependence and hampers their movements, including their return to their country of origin without the employer’s consent.12 The Special Rapporteur has received information about cases of women unable to leave the house, because in some countries failure to carry identity documents in the street is illegal. In some countries it is also impossible to obtain medical attention without documents.13 Such circumstances sometimes turn domestic work into a form of slavery. The Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights urges States “to take the necessary measures to prohibit and punish those who confiscate passports belonging to migrant workers, in particular migrant domestic workers”.14 35. The Special Rapporteur has received information about many cases of migrant domestic workers who suffer from depression and loneliness. Sometimes they are not allowed to telephone their families and are not allowed to go out to use a public telephone. When they have no right to holidays they spend long periods without seeing their children and their families.