Know your rights for your own protection

In one of my previous post, I told you, what can happen to you when you go abroad without any information how to protect yourself there. There are several countries already well known to give you a bad experience. One word is used for this and be aware of this. It is right! "Modern slavery". As you will read in my next post: To find a better work then in Malaysia or several other countries, you need to be prepared to pay a higher amount to go there. Malaysia is cheap because you cant really earn money there. That's not only an experience by my own. Try to be informed before you choose a country. Go to an Internet shop if you don't own a computer, take a friend with you who might be helpful for you to do some research and then: Search for basic facts before you decide your prefered country where you want to stay for the next two years of your life. Far away from home, from your friends, maybe without any contact to other ones than your employer. Search for information and experiences from other ones. Do not just believe what the agency might tell you. Try to find contact to other ones who have already work there.

Here are few IMPORTANT reminders, a Domestic Helper must know:

Know Your Rights
Breach Of Conditions Of Stay
Overstaying And Illegal Work
Have as minimum a copy of your Passport always in your hand. Same from the Visa.
Photo copy your Employment contract, Passport and Visa and leave a copy to your family.
Be extra careful of your documents while you are traveling, put it in your hand bag and don't leave anywhere.
Be aware and be extra careful if someone approach you in the airport and ask you to carry some of her belongings.
Be careful that you will not fall on the hands of syndicate and become their drug carrier.
Always take note important contact  numbers for emergency cases so you can call for assistance.


For the sake of all my fellow Filipina working as a helper in Hong Kong and in other country. And to those who wish to go abroad for the first time. I wish that through this blog site of mine you will learn some important things to help yourself once you are in foreign country, far away from home and family. We are alone once we step in the country where we want to work for our family. That is why we need to know our rights. We need to know about illegal works, that most of the time our own employer is the one who is asking us to do it. To have common understanding on illegal work, any work done outside of the working place (address written in the contract) is considered illegal. Even if the owner of the other place of work is your employer (but different address). It is still considered illegal. You need to put it in your mind that the employment contract approved by the concerned authorities, especially the Immigration Department is very specific on work place, duties and responsibilities of the domestic worker and the employer. But I know by myself that it is hard to refuse to our employer especially if they are the good employer. Because once we refuse, we will find our self being terminated. And that is what we need to avoid also. Our situation is very hard between the Hong Kong law and between our employer. We need our job, we need our salary for our family, for our dream. We did not go this far just to be terminated by not following our employers order. All we need to do is to be aware and extra careful if we don't have choice but to follow our employer to do the illegal work that they ask from us.


If your refusal leads to termination of contract. Or there is another reason that your employer terminate your contract. Your working visa will automatically be cut to 14 days starting on the day your employer ask you to leave your workplace. This 14 days is enough to find new employer. If not, your agency will ask you to go in the Immigration Department to apply for visa extension to avoid you to become overstay.

In case of emergency and you need help, here are some important phone number (for Hong Kong only).
9155-4023 (Consular Assistance)
5529-1880 (Labor)
6345-9324 (OWWA)

For further Information:
Consulate website: www.hongkongpcg.dfa.gov.ph
Facebook: Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong
Email: hongkong.pcg@dfa.gov.ph
Fax: 2866-9885


Rights you might need to know when you want to go to Saudi Arabia: "Saudi Arabia in 2013 passed new rules that grant domestic workers one day’s rest a week and guarantee the payment of their salaries."