Domestic workers

THE GOVERNMENT is hoping to ratify an international agreement that sets standards for work conditions for domestic workers, a Cabinet official said yesterday.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Association of Foreign Maid Agencies (Papa) has proposed to create a mechanism to protect the welfare of domestic workers following Cambodia’s abrupt decision to stop its citizens from working as domestic helpers here.

MANILA, Philippines — A United Nations human rights expert has urged Lebanon to introduce laws to protect the estimated 200,000 domestic workers in the country, many of whom are Filipinos, warning that many of them live in conditions of servitude and are subject to physical or sexual abuse and economic exploitation.

After heading the International Labor Organization (ILO) committee on domestic workers in June this year, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is drumming up “multi-stakeholder support” for the ratification of the Domestic Workers’ Convention (ILO Convention 189).

HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s ongoing landmark right of abode case has split the local community. The High Court deemed the city’s immigration law, which barred some 290,000 foreign domestic helpers from applying for permanent residency, unconstitutional.

HONG KONG – A Hong Kong court has ruled as unconstitutional a law banning foreign maids from permanent residency in a landmark move sparking heated debate in the Asian financial hub.

DUBAI // Some help is on hand for Filipina maids and nannies who find themselves trapped by abusive employers. A Filipino organisation is dedicated to helping domestic workers and tracking down Filipinos involved in human trafficking and illegal recruitment activities.

The stash of felt-tip pens, stickers and paints donated by students cost no more than a few dirhams. But to the women who use them to illustrate or write down their innermost thoughts, they represent a lifeline.

The recruitment industry expects a huge decline in the number of Filipino domestic workers being deployed to the Middle East with the likely approval of a resolution that would make Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates off limits to household service workers.

Two sides report agreement on terms of hiring Filipina domestic workers Saudi Arabia is set to lift a ban on the recruitment of housemaids from the Philippines introduced early this year following tough terms imposed by Manila on sending domestic workers to the world’s largest oil exporter.

MANILA, Philippines — Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong Friday expressed alarm over the alleged “rising xenophobia and social exclusion” in Hong Kong and other destination countries for migrant workers.

In less than a week, one of the hottest topics in Hong Kong will move towards a milestone. A petition by one of at least four Filipino domestic helpers to the Hong Kong government to grant them permanent residence will be heard at the High Court starting August 22.

CEBU, Philippines – Two helpers were rescued last Saturday afternoon after they were imprisoned for over a week in the property of their employer in Barangay Guadalupe.

The recently approved ILO Convention No. 189 and Recommendation No. 201 on decent work for domestic workers aim to protect and improve working and living conditions of millions of workers worldwide, who have few – if any – labour rights. Many are children who spend long hours working as domestic helpers, performing tasks such as…

HONG KONG — Hong Kong is set to hear later this month a Filipino domestic helper’s legal bid for permanent residency in the southern Chinese city, in a landmark case that has sparked heated debate.

Shortage results in thriving illegal market for housemaids during Ramadan as ministry puts curbs on recruitment Riyadh: With the advent of Ramadan, there has been a thriving illegal market for housemaids in the Kingdom. This is because of the growing demand for housemaids and their low supply due to the Labour Ministry’s decision to ban…

HONG KONG – At least four Filipino domestic workers who have been working here for more than 20 years have waged a legal battle for the Hong Kong government to grant them permanent residency. The High Court is scheduled to hear one of the three petitions on Aug. 22, which was filed by Evangeline Vallejos,…

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Survey reveals migrant workers’ uphill struggle Catholic Church News Image of Workers decry ‘two-week rule’ Maria’s employer sometimes gives her only a half day off or no day off at all on Sunday, and she receives no compensation for it.

For every woman who breaks free from domestic drudgery, another takes her place. Since the boom, Irish families have hired thousands of women from the Philippines. One of them tells Kay Sheehy of her life of exploitation here — the low wages, the long hours and the terrible heartbreak of being forced to leave her…

MANILA, Philippines – Migration analysts are recommending a different tack for negotiating better terms for Filipino domestic workers with host countries.

Vice President Jejomar Binay is urging President Benigno Aquino III to certify House Bill No. 553 – the Magna Carta for Household Helpers – as urgent. Binay, chairman emeritus of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, said the bill can ensure the “freedom, equity and security” of domestic workers.

AS their protection entirely reposed on their employers’ kindness or lack of it, a 13th month pay for household help or “kasambahay” has been sought in the House of Representatives.

In June 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment of a Maryland couple on charges that they held a Filipina domestic worker in servitude. The couple lured the victim—an impoverished, uneducated mother of eight—by promising a salary that could support the victim’s children in the Philippines.

The Department of Labor and Employment on Saturday urged household service workers who may be affected by a new labor policy in Saudi Arabia to find opportunities through the government’s job portal.

JEDDAH – More Saudi families now want to personally interview and hire their domestic workers to ensure they get trained workers and do not have to hire illegal housemaids. “Saudis now seem more cautious than before. They wish to interview their housemaids personally. It actually makes our work easier because our clients have to share…

Up to 140,000 Philippine workers could lose their jobs in Saudi Arabia Manila: Up to 140,000 Philippine workers could lose their jobs in Saudi Arabia due to a domestic helper ban and a programme to compel firms to employ more locals, the Filipino labour minister said Thursday.

‘Indirect dangers affect more women than rape’ In rich and poor countries alike, the infrastructure of justice is failing women, says a UN Women report. Legal reform is only a start, the report argues – laws must be implemented to translate into true equality. Across the board, existing laws are too often inadequately enforced keeping…

VIENNA (AP) — Illegal immigrants working as domestics in the European Union are often subject to beatings, sexual abuse and overwork while being paid a fraction of what they would be entitled to if employed legally, an EU agency reported Tuesday. The Vienna-based EU Fundamental Rights agency interviewed 72 people working illegally in 10 EU…

At least 7,000 household service workers have been barred from working in Saudi Arabia since last March when the Kingdom suspended processing their work papers, a Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) official said Tuesday.