We thank you for your relentless and dedicated efforts to help pass the Magna Carta for Household Helpers. However, it still faces difficulties in the Senate and a looming deadline before the elections come May 2004. To help spread the spirit of the magna carta, click the poster and sticker icons below to have your own print ready copies at home.

CHILD DOMESTIC WORKERS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Child domestic workers are among of the six priority sectors for the Philippine Time-Bound Program on the worst forms of child labor. The Visayan Forum will be implementing a two-year program with support from ILO-IPEC targeting child domestic workers in six provinces. Welcome to this new portal aimed to quickly guide you through useful resources you can immediately use!

What is the situation of CDWs in the Philippines?

A draft Handbook for Action for CDWs PDF Download which was used for multi-disciplinary consultations as groundwork in six provinces. This handbook is also taken from the cursory assessment on CDWs prepared by Visayan Forum.

You can request for a copy of a widely disseminated book about the Philippine experience with the Kasambahay Program. You can read through an abstract of the book.

No less than the head of the social services department, DSWD Sec. Dinky Soliman, have recognized the urgency of the issue. Read the speech.

News reports and video documentaries have also highlighted the massiveness of the sector. The following articles might be helpful:

Some case studies reveal the abusive conditions which these children suffer.

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The legal framework

Child domestic workers are invisible national policies and local laws. VF has launched a national campaign for a new law called the Batas Kasambahay.

This Magna Carta seeks more benefits, higher pay, etc. for maids

For a full version of the law, click here.

For a summary of the law, you can refer to the 10 Fundamental Rights of Household Helpers

To download the abridged privilege speech by the proponent Cong. Jackie Enrile introducing the Batas Kasambahay, click here.

To study the intricacies of the law, VF has dedicated a full edition of its April 2003 issue of the Kasambahay Journal.

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What can we do?

VF is implementing the Kasambahay Program since 1996 provided services and organizing domestic workers themselves. It has organized the SUMAPI, a domestic worker's association of more than 5,000 members. To learn how these CDWs plant the seeds of their freedom, click here.

Starting 2004, VF will take the program to new heights in line with the Philippine Time-Bound Program on the worst forms of child labor.

VF has been conducting Multidisciplinary Workshops with partners in various provinces. Click here to read the Concept Paper.

You can also download free of charge some useful posters and stickers that you may want to use in your homes and offices.

Finally, you can also report cases of abuse by clicking on the icon Save A Child Today.

For more information, e-mail us at [email protected] or [email protected]

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