Our Urgent Mission

 

OUR URGENT MISSION

Ms. Ma. Cecilia Flores-Oebanda, President, Visayan Forum Foundation, Inc.

 

Domestic workers have long lived in the fringes and margins of society.  Their situation takes root from centuries of slavery and this reality continues to manifest in the way domestic workers are treated.  Although their work is vital to modern households, their inputs are largely unrecognized and undervalued.  Domestic work is perceived to require very little skills and is viewed as dirty and demeaning.  There is a massive army of young women, many of them children, ready to leave their hometowns and risk their own lives in the hands of their recruiters and employers – with the belief that they are taking the pathway out of poverty. 

 

Out of Sight

 

Domestic workers are invisible – both in practice and in policy.  They work inside private homes where they are hardly touched by the supposedly long arm of the law.  They are shrouded further by the lack of laws and programs that are in tune with the times and with the realities of their work. 

 

Yet, we cannot justify their continuing invisibility.  We are bombarded daily with horror stories of abuse and exploitation.  For a time, we were appalled at the stories of child domestic workers raped and abused by their employers.  We railed against foreign employers who treat domestics like pieces of furniture fit to be tied and locked in so that they couldn’t escape.  We are flooded with stories of non-payment of wages, inhumane treatment, broken dreams, shattered lives. 

 

Unfortunately, our collective indignation has only resulted in bits and pieces of reforms.  Worse, public outrage proved to be short-lived. 

 

History Beckons

For the 2010 International Labor Conference, ILO members from among governments, trade unions, and employers will discuss the possibility of adopting an international instrument that would extend decent work standards to domestic workers.  Domestic workers will have the chance to enjoy legal protection and coverage, benefits, and opportunities for self-advancement that workers in formal settings supposedly enjoy, taking into consideration the special circumstances and dynamics of their work.  

 

The Philippines will inevitably occupy a strategic position during the discussions.  We have too much at stake, with more than 1 million Filipino domestic workers deployed all over the world and with 1.7 million working inside the Philippines.  Their remittance help fuel our telecommunications, real-estate, and service industries.  Whether working abroad or inside the Philippines, they are at the receiving end of abuses and discrimination.  Hence, we should aim for the strongest form of protection possible.

 

The adoption of a binding instrument with clear provisions on the fundamental principles and rights at work, and decent work standards will serve as norms for both sending and receiving countries.  Apart from paving the way for adoption of national laws, policies, and programs protecting our domestic workers, the instrument will address the alarming “race-to-the-bottom” where nations and individuals compete for jobs by sacrificing wages, benefits, and regulations.  Through these international standards, we could elevate the status of domestic workers – from seemingly indentured slaves to skilled workers.  The instruments can also provide the framework for international collaboration and agreements necessary to protect migrants.

 

The Philippines must take a leadership role in the process.  Our failure to come up with a strong, unified position will weaken our bargaining leverage with host countries for our domestic workers.  We should also recognize that we cannot negotiate for better terms of employment for migrant domestic workers while continuing to ignore the growing clamor to legislate a Magna Carta for Domestic Workers.   It is hypocritical if not downright immoral to turn a blind eye to the injustices happening right inside the households here in our very own backyard. 

 

We are in the cusp of history.  The standard-setting process of the ILO was proposed more than half a century ago and it is only now that the issue of decent work for domestic workers will be highlighted in the international arena.  This opportunity might not come again and it is our collective responsibility and urgent mission to make sure that this would not be wasted. 

 

Listening to their voices

 

The National Domestic Workers’ Summit started out as a dream.  We dreamed of a moment when all eyes will be focused on the plight of domestic workers.  We dreamed of a day when domestic workers could organize and come together, share stories, think about how stakeholders could better protect them, and genuinely influence policy discussions.  We dreamed of a day when trade unions, non-government organizations, local and national government agencies, faith-based organizations, people’s organizations, and even employers will selflessly share their knowledge and resources to map out and implement programs for sustained and lasting improvements in the working conditions of domestic workers. 

 

The first step for the realization of that dream was taken during the First National Domestic Workers Summit.

 

Now, for the Second National Domestic Workers Summit, the stakes are higher.  For this Summit, we can help shape international standards that will cover all domestic workers all over the world.  We could take advantage of the momentum created by international discussions to fashion out laws and reforms here in the Philippines. 

 

We are up to the challenge.  The members of the Technical Working Group for the Philippine Campaign on Decent Work for Domestic Workers have worked tirelessly and with a sense of urgency to facilitate a unified Philippine position for the ILO Conference, for the passage of the Magna Carta for Domestic Workers, and for reforms in Philippine policies and programs. 

 

Trade unions and workers groups, including informal sector associations, have championed the cause of domestic workers.  Employers groups have helped enrich the knowledge-base about the issue and have crafted concrete and practical recommendations.  Government has done its share by mobilizing key actors and developing policy and program proposals.  The International Labor Organization has provided vital financial and technical support. 

 

It is now time to listen to the voices of domestic workers.   For it is also our urgent mission to make sure that domestic workers themselves have the capacity and the opportunity to remove one of the few remaining vestiges of slavery.