The two charity organisations found that 10 per cent of 312 people surveyed had reported sexual abuse, 26 per cent physical and 72 per cent psychological abuse from employers.

Many such Indian domestic workers face considerable hardships during and after losing their jobs after they arrive in Britain.

Following a campaign by Kalayaan, the government has committed to maintaining the existing rights and protections for migrant domestic workers, which were introduced with the domestic worker visa, for at least another two years.

Kate Wareing, a spokesperson of Oxfam, said migrant domestic workers were among "the most vulnerable and exploited people in the UK".

The report, titled The New Bonded Labour?, argues that the workers, mostly poor women from developing countries brought into the UK by employers, are routinely ill-treated.

Of the staff registered in 2006 with Kalayaan, 43 per cent of workers said they had not been given their own bed. As many as 41 per cent reported that they had not been provided with regular meals, 70 per cent said they were given no time off and 61 per cent said they were not allowed out of the house without their employer's permission.

Some of the people interviewed for the study told researchers that they were paid as little as 50 pence an hour, and that they had to work up to 16 hours a day and were on constant call to their bosses.

A migrant domestic worker was blinded in one eye after her employer threw hot tea at her, and ran away after her employer's husband attempted to rape her. Another one, who was regularly beaten for three years, told researchers that staffs like her were "treated like slaves".

Kate Roberts, a spokesperson of Kalayaan, said "Additional action must be taken against abusive employers who break the law and more support provided for domestic workers."