From Half the Sky movement.....

OFW- "I am Going Home for good."

There are many reasons why migrant workers might say "I am going home for good." Normally, it is because of some unfortunate development either at home or in the workplace. To go home or "reintegrate" is the end of a migrant's journey. This is especially true in Hong Kong where migrant workers are never offered the chance to settle permanently. Those returning home with clear goals and who are properly prepared, psychologically and economically, will reintegrate more easily. Unfortunately, most are not well prepared. The most important economic factor affecting migrant workers is their remittances. This enables their families back home to survive and even accumulate some wealth. Some workers are able to save some money for retirement, home improvement, emergencies or investments. Millions of households benefit from this - but only for as long as the migrants continue working abroad. Remittances help transform lives. But unless they are managed wisely, they cannot address the causes of poverty. WIMLER Foundation HK recently conducted a study among 300 migrant domestic workers to find out how their remittance practices affect their reintegration plans. The preliminary results show they remit money home on average eleven times per year - primarily to meet the basic needs of their families. Some of them keep a portion of their income as savings, but this money generally serves as a buffer against unforeseen expenses or sudden changes in their employment status. It is unclear how much of these savings are available by the time they decide to go home. Most who save do so as an insurance against ill health. Others put money aside for small investments, home improvements, retirement and children's education. Savings are minimal. It can be deduced that 55.3 percent of the respondents have annual savings below the average of HK$8,172.67 which means monthly average savings of HK$681.90 or 18% of their monthly income. This indicates that in general, migrant workers remit a large portion of their wages primarily to support their families and not to prepare for their own financial security. Most Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong are married and have children back home. All have been working as domestic workers, on average, for the past seven years. Their age range indicates they spend their most productive years working in Hong Kong. They work overseas to ensure that their children can go to school, that there is food on the table, and that their family receives proper health care. But they have to endure long-term separation from their families. This is particularly hard for women with children who were left behind. Even so, most migrant workers opt to work longer in Hong Kong and renew their contracts repeatedly. Many find their accumulated income still insufficient to allow them to go home. A considerable number are unsure how long they will need to keep sending money. This indicates their plans to return depend on the needs of their families. Many must continue working for as long as there is a need at home. It is often too late when they realize there will not be enough money left to secure their own financial future. But when should migrant workers start thinking about "going home for good" and when is the right time for them to go home? According to several experts, there are generally three types of returnees namely: [1] failure returnees who return before two years (i.e. those whose contracts are prematurely terminated; those who experience some type of abuse, loneliness or those who cannot adjust to work or being separated from their families; [2] innovative returnees who return after 6-10 years (examples are those who have set aside enough savings or who have found some means of employment at home); and [3] retirement returnees, who return after 6-10 years or longer (retirement in this case can be forced retirement, meaning they are no longer psychologically or physically fit to work). However, there are many other reasons why migrant workers go home. Some return because a family member suddenly falls sick, or their children need extra attention, or perhaps they hear about the infidelity of their spouses. In Hong Kong, the average length of stay for migrant domestic workers is 7 years and 3 months. Three out of every 10 respondents have been sending money to their families in the Philippines for more than 10 years. One domestic worker said she has been remitting money for the past 29 years. Hence, migrant domestic workers tend to stay longer in Hong Kong. Generally, without a clear migration plan, it is difficult to determine the right moment for a migrant worker to decide to go home. So this is the crux of the problem: the lack of a migration plan, and consequently, the lack of a reintegration plan. What can be done to assist migrants plan for their eventual return? First, migrants should have a clear migration goal before they travel abroad. This goal must be shared with their immediate families, with all parties working together to achieve better results. Second, applying for jobs abroad should be affordable. We must get rid of unscrupulous recruitment agencies which charge high and illegal processing fees and cause an enormous debt burden to many migrant workers. Third, financial literacy must be taught before departure and continued abroad to help workers manage their money more wisely. This should also be taught to families left behind so they can use the remittances they receive more effectively. Appropriate remittance-based products and services should also be offered, according to a migrant worker's financial capacity and capability. Fourth, migrants must be made aware of the reintegration schemes being offered by various government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and those interested in going into business must be provided with technical assistance and, if necessary, access to financial services for start-up capital. Those migrants who are not entrepreneurial should at least be taught how to invest in viable social enterprises. Finally, the government must create an enabling environment for returnees to ensure sustainability in their chosen enterprise. Training in entrepreneurship, marketing, business management and access to capital must be provided. There must be trained and dedicated government staff to assist them. Migrants are more likely to return if their home countries provide a stable and attractive social, economic and political environment. If all these are implemented, "going home for good" will become a deliberate and well-prepared plan, and homecoming will be something to celebrate, not fear. -------------------------------------- By Leila Rispens-Noel The author is a director and co-founder of WIMLER Foundation HK, a non-profit charity organization that supports the capacity building and empowerment of migrant communities, and promotes cultural diversity in Hong Kong. This article is based on a mapping study she conducted on remittance behavior and practices of Filipino migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong.

Pres Obama speaks about Human Trafficking

President Obama speaks about stopping human trafficking at the
Clinton Global Initiative in New York City.

The Agony of OFW...

Filipino workers fleeing civil war in Syria return home with tales of horror amid violence.

By Oliver Teves, The Associated PressSeptember 12, 2012 12:10 AM

 

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino Ruth Pana remembered the windows of her employer's house in Damascus riddled with bullets. The maid, who escaped first to the Philippine Embassy in the Syrian capital and then to Manila aboard an evacuation flight, also remembered one of the sons of her Syrian employer being killed by government forces.

"His chest was opened like there was large steel that passed through it," she said, sobbing. "Do you know that we buried him at the back of the house because there were no more cemeteries?"
Pana was among nearly 300 Filipino workers — young women who escaped unemployment at home for jobs abroad as maids and babysitters — who fled the worsening civil war in the biggest single repatriation negotiated between the Philippines and Syria. They were flown to Manila on Tuesday by the International Organization of Migration and brought with them the tales of horror and sleepless nights as violence between government forces and rebels fighting to overthrow the regime of President Bashar Assad spiraled out of control.
Pana, 29, said the man she worked for was supportive of the opposition and his son was killed during a recent demonstration. After the family's house where she lived and worked was shattered by bullets, they all fled to a neighbour's basement to escape being caught in the crossfire between government troops and the rebel Free Syrian forces.
She said she liked her employer and had worked for him and his family for three years until 2010, and then returned just months before the fighting erupted in March 2011.
Pana said a military camp behind her employer's residence was occupied by the rebels but the military launched a counter-attack and bombardment last week using helicopters.
"If you could just see the bodies, oh brother, you would be throwing up," she said in an interview.
She said when her employer and his family moved to a rented house, she made contact with the Philippine Embassy, which sent a car that took her away to the care of Filipino diplomats until she and the others were repatriated.
Pana said her employer initially didn't want her to leave, saying she was still under contract, but then relented.
"If it were not for the war, I would not have returned home," said Glemer Cabidog, 34, who was a caretaker of a villa in Damascus for a wealthy Kuwaiti businessman who had fled the war. "We asked permission from our employer but after three months ... he said he won't allow us to leave. That's why we escaped."
Cabidog, who was paid $200 a month, said she and another Filipino worker at the villa decided to leave after a clash two weeks ago between Syrian forces and demonstrators in their neighbourhood.
"That was when we decided to leave," she said. "We didn't want to die there."
She said they made arrangements with the Philippine Embassy to pick them up a week later.
She said her employer has stayed in Kuwait for the last nine months. She said she would get food and other provisions by requesting supplies from one of his secretaries who would have them delivered to the compound.
The 263 Filipinos who returned home, many shedding tears of joy, had sought refuge at the embassy compound until Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario travelled to Syria last week to organize their evacuation.
"I was scared and I really wanted to go home. Now that I am home, I am very happy," said Sasulaya Abdula.
Some of the women were crying and were comforted by others as they waited for their papers to be processed by officers from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, a government agency in charge of nearly 10 million Filipinos who work overseas.
After welcoming them at the Manila airport, del Rosario said up to 600 more want to return home.
The rest of the estimated 3,000 Filipino workers decided to stay in Syria for the time being, he said.

 

Propostion 35

Taking a stand against human trafficking is one of the foundational challenges of our time. It will define us as a people. If we can't protect our children in our own state from being bought and sold for sex and hold those accountable for these horrific crimes we should be ashamed. That's why I'm grateful for Proposition 35 -- an initiative with teeth that gives us a chance to stop human trafficking once and for all in California. We must do all we can to make sure it passes this November.

We need you to join with us and support Proposition 35 right now. Less than three months remain before the election and we need to make every single day count.

Stand with me and support Proposition 35 by contributing today!
 
One of the most important issues of our time, and one of the most important initiatives on the ballot this November.

Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

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 Women all over the world have been subjected to oppression and inequality since the beginning of time. It's our duty today and always to raise our voices on behalf of all those great women struggling in their daily lives for freedom, emancipation and dignity."


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