Migration – Filipina Domestic Workers

1. Migration – Filipina Domestic Workers Political Science 149 Professor Brysk Kristine Ahn Keenan Kibrick Zena Kalioundji Jenny-Anne Sinson Czarina Visperas

2. Migration Trends on the Filipina worker (South Asia to the Gulf)

3. Migration Trends on the Filipina worker (South Asia to Europe)

4. INTRODUCTION • Why Filipina domestic workers? • Filipina domestic workers highlight power, social, economic, and cultural relationships in a global context. Their situation is one in which the modern day ramifications of migration can be understood. • In this presentation push and pull factors, effects on the Philippines and the various host countries, and the various policies and organizations that aim to aide these domestic workers will be discussed.

5. PUSH-FACTORS FOR the MIGRATION of FILIPINAS

6. ECONOMICS • IN 2000, the Manila Times reported that 45.4% (6.9 million) families lived in poverty (http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2005/feb/19/yehey/top_stories/20050219top1.html) • Middle-class status doesn’t translate to comfortable and secure lifestyle

7. GENDER ROLES • Female migrants leave to escape assigned roles for women • Culture is deeply rooted in patriarchy in the Philippines • They feel they can have more autonomy if they leave • Switching roles • They take on the role of income providers

8. GENDERED LABOR MARKET IN THE PHILIPPINES • Women are slotted into jobs that reflect their roles in the domestic sphere • Female jobs are less valued and less lucrative than comparable men’s work

9. ESCAPE from ABUSIVE HUSBANDS and PARTNERS • Domestic violence is tolerated • There are legal and cultural barriers that make it difficult for the dissolution of marriage

10. PULL-FACTORS FOR the MIGRATION of FILIPINAS

11. WHY DO COUNTRIES WANT MIGRANT MAIDS AND LABOR? • Avoids paying taxes and national insurance. • Dramatically less expensive then in country domestic worker • Pay as low as $100’s a week • Some families don’t even pay expenses i.e. food, washing of clothes, transportation • Racial Stereotyping • Certain stereotypes of praise for having certain race of worker • Ethiopian-Sweet • Peruvian-Servile • Filipina-Easiest to place (GW, 108)

12. WHERE DO FILIPINA WORKERS MIGRATE? • Asia • Hong Kong • Singapore • Malaysia • Europe • Greece • Italy • Spain • Saudi Arabia • United States

13. HOW DO HOST COUNTRIES PULL IN MIGRANT LABOR? • Lies • Promised prosperity • Hong Kong- promised in written contract high wages in Philippines once over seas wages greatly diminished (GW, 116) • Host Country Propaganda • U.S believed land of freedom and prosperity • American TV shows shown in other countries depict America as better world • “She saw Saturday night fever four times. Every Sunday she watched Fame, the TV show starring the lucky kids at the new York School of performing Arts, who stopped traffic with their dancing” (GW, 34)

14. TRAFFICKERS • Middle men for migrant work agencies • Paid lots of money to bring people over state lines legally. • take visa’s of immigrants and hold them ransom • Job Description: Go to 3rd world countries promise people better jobs abroad and prosperity • Say various things to lure people: • Abroad work pays more money • Work less hours • Will have benefits of host country

15. EFFECTS OF MIGRATION ON HOST COUNTRIES

16. 1985 to 1993 Saudi Arabia (9.2%) Hong Kong (9.5%) Japan (9.3%) United Arab Emirates (5.5%) Kuwait (3.7%) Singapore (2.4%) Qatar (1.7%) Bahrain (1.7%) Brunei (1.6%) Oman (1.5%) All other countries (13.9%) 1981 to 2000 United States (71.5%) Canada (13.2%) Australia (7.4%) Japan (4.7%) MAJOR DESTINATIONS Women migrant workers outnumber men. The median age for women is 29, and on average the migrant workers stay abroad for 3 years.

17. REASONS PEOPLE STAY • There is dependence when people and governments cling to it even when economic benefits decline • Although the countries of destination were quick to act in repatriating migrants and lowering their salary or working standards, the volume of outflows did not decline significantly. • Governments such as the one in the Philippines were quick to either recommend that migrants remain abroad even under less favorable conditions

18. MIGRATION POLICY • Philippines migration policy: • is to promote overseas employment at all levels of skills with an active policy to protect migrants; recent initiatives: to deregulate recruitment agencies; to encourage the international community to allow free movement of labor at a all skill levels (pg 69) • Legal visa take away by host country • The enactment of the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipino Act of 1995 serves to protect the interests and promote the welfare of over 6 million Filipinos working in approximately 140 countries around the world

19. ADVANTAGES OF MIGRATING • Earning money enables migrants to meet their financial obligations and to purchase a lot of things that they could not otherwise afford. • Frequently gain confidence • Become self-reliant • Learn new skill • Improve their financial skills • Broaden their perspectives • Gain prestige in their local community • Develop and enhance positive traits • Many show an enhanced awareness and appreciation for work and global events • They also get to know themselves better are able to relate better to different kinds of people

20. NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION • Increased Consumerism • Infidelity • Separation • Breakup of the Family • Faulty Development of Self-Concept among Adolescent Children • Conflict • Negative Behavior of Children Left Behind • Deskilling • Although there are those who are able to save and invest their hard-earned money, others splurge their money or fail to invest their earnings productively

21. EFFECTS OF MIGRATION ON HOME COUNTRY

22. Few facts on remittance figures • The IMF and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) remittance figures are significantly lower than those offered by national central banks in various countries. • For example, in 2002, the IBRD reported less than US$ 2 billion in remittances to the Philippines, while the Philippines Central Bank reported more than US$ 6 billion. • IMF records only include remittances transferred through official channels. There are informally transferred remittances that are hand carried or transferred by family, friends or money couriers.

23. Increasing remittances Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) http://www.bsp.gov.ph/statistics/spei/tab11.htm

24. Economic benefits of remittance in Philippines FDI: Foreign direct investment. ODA: Official development assistance. Source: Orozco (2003)

25. Encouraging Migration • 1/10 of the Philippines population works overseas. • Asian Development Bank reported that the real figure of remittances is in $14 billion to $21 billion range. • This figure is much larger than the sum of foreign direct investment and aid flowing into Philippines. • It also amounts to 32% of GNP. • The late Philippine Labor Minister (and Foreign Affairs Minister) Blas Ople said, “overseas employment has built more homes than all our housing programs put together.”

26. Families with Overseas Filipina Workers • Migrant mothers are unable to tend to their children. • Many children suffer from lack of emotional care and parental guidance • Financial needs have to come before emotional needs. • Children in transnational families suffer the loss of family intimacy. • Media depict migrant mothers as ‘careless’ and ‘not-motherly,’ although having a migrant mother does not necessarily mean that the children will become delinquents.

27. RESPONSES TO FILIPINA DOMESTIC WORKERS

28. GRASS ROOTSCommittee Against Anti-Asian Violence (CAAV) – “Women Workers Project” (WWP)

29. CAAV – WWP • CAAV is a grass roots organization created in 1986 by Asian American women activists that created the Women Workers Project in 1998. • WWP is a multi-racial campaign that is multipurpose. It aims to: I) Survey New York City domestic workers and provide them with resources such as basic right workshops and employment contracting workshops. II) Promote social change by accepting a variety of cases that involve employer abuse and then organizing large scale demonstrations or public campaigns on the case filers behalf. III) Act as a lobbying force for banking industries to adopt codes of conduct for their international staff who hire domestic workers. IV) Further lobby with the aide of various legal counsels to fight for labor legislation to include domestic workers as to have better regulation of the hidden economy.

30. GRASS ROOTS DAMAYAN Migrant Workers Association

31. DAMAYAN MIGRANT WORKERS ASSOCIATION • Organization formed in 2000 that is based in New York and New Jersey that upholds and promotes the rights and welfare of Filipino migrant workers, particularly domestic workers. • “Damayan” is the Tagalog word for “helping each other” which is fitting as the organization was founded by former domestic workers and is facilitated with the help of community leaders and other domestic workers. • Damayan provides a number of programs and services including: I) Health and Legal Services for free from physicians or attorneys II) Job Training and Referral Programs that matches employers and workers with one another based on contractual terms and training on financial matters, computer skills, CPR certification, etc.

32. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION – International Labour Organization (ILO) - DOMWORK

33. ILO - DOMWORK • The International Labour Organization (ILO) is the UN specialized agency which seeks the promotion of social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights. The ILO was founded in 1919 and aims to formulate international working standards and provide assistance in statistics collection, vocational training, rights awareness, etc. • DOMWORK is a project overseen by the ILO that aims to “eradicate the worst forms of abuse of domestic workers in Asia, through an integrated program of legal regulation, capacity building, organization, and self-representation”. DOMWORK is based in the ILO’s sub-regional office in Manila, Philippines. • DOMWORK’s objectives include: • Advocacy and research for domestic workers • Outreach and empowerment for domestic workers • To protect and assist former domestic workers.

34. ANALYSIS OF RESPONSES • The responses to the domestic workers phenomenon aims to primarily provide support for the domestic workers. • There seems to be no strong movement to end the migration of domestic workers as they provide significant economic support for the Philippines. • The source of responses are unsurprising – Filipina domestic workers are receiving help from other Filipina domestic workers and other Filipinos in the form of grass roots organizations while larger international organizations are also provide them with resources in addition to surveying and analyzing their situation. • There is no immediate or pressing desire to change patterns of migration but to improve the situation of Filipina domestic workers abroad and to curb the high instances of abuse. • While the programs and policies analyzed in this presentation may help some Filipina domestic workers, others, particularly those in the Middle East have no support from grassroots organizations (Amnesty International 2000)

35. References (1 of 3) • http://www.bsp.gov.ph/statistics/spei/tab11.htm • http://www.iom.int/DOCUMENTS/PUBLICATION/EN/mpr1.pdf#search='The%20Development%20Dimension’ • Parrenas, Rhacel S. Servants of Globalization: Women, Migration and Domestic Work. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. • The Development Dimension.Migration, Remittances and Development. Paris: Organization for economic development and Co-operation and Development, 2005. • United Nations. Migration Patterns and Policies in the Asian and Pacific Region. New York: United Nations Publications, 2003. • Adler, Leonore, and Uwe and Gielen. Migration: Immigrations and Emigration in International Perspective. London: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2003.

36. References- continued (2 of 3) • http://www.caaav.org/coalitions/dwu.php • http://damayanmigrants.homestead.com/intro.html • http://www.ilo.org/public/english/region/asro/manila/philippines/mnltc.htm • http://www.amnestyusa.org/abolish/document.do?id=D2C1FC0DC59EC51C802569610071BFEC • http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2005/feb/19/yehey/top_stories/20050219top1.html • http://www.fes.org.ph/rgp_ph.htm

37. References – continued (3 of 3) • Ehrebreich, Barbara, and Arlie Russell Hochschild. Global Women. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2004. • Nam, Charles, William Serow, David Sly, and Robert Weller. Handbook on International Migration. New York: Greenwood Press, 1990.