Xyza Cruz Bacani came to Hong Kong as a domestic helper nine years ago-but it wasn't until she started shooting photos on the city's streets that she discovered her true passion. The Magnum Foundation fellowship winner and Hamdan International Photography Award finalist tells about the hardships of working in Hong Kong and how she hopes to use her photography to give a voice to the most marginalized in society.
Xyza Crus Bacani came from Nueva, Vizcaya, Philippines. She is the eldest among the three kids. Her father is here in the Philippines. And her mom still working in Hong Kong as a domestic helper. She is working with the same boss with Xyza for 20 years. Hong Kong is overload. Xyza loves the lights, the people always moving around so fast. She felt the vibe is awesome.
She say, she is officially jobless because she is applying for a visa to attend a course with the Magnum foundation at New York University. So she need to work harder. Her days needs to be filled with stuff to do. She is doing a project on domestic helper abuse "The 900 Square Feet of Hidden Hope”. Xyza want to show awareness to all because it seems that it is very normal for Hong Kong people to abuse their helpers.
Xyza want to tell the people that it is not okay to abuse their helper. So she want to go to places where the domestic helpers and immigrants stay at their day off, shoot their photos and tell their stories. Her documentary photography is different from her street photography. She say that her street photography is just something she love to do. And her documentary work is for people's stories to be heard.
In her documentary you can see someone who was burned on her back, and hit by employer.
We still can't imagine it is still happening in Hong Kong. The basic human rights of most helpers are violated, physically and emotionally. "We are not Chinese, but we are human too. You need to treat us like humans too". Some of the domestic helper who is abused by their employer, run away and are rescued by the Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge. Once they sue their employer, their working visas will be cut. Most of the domestic helper just give up and go home. So nobody knows about them.
One more problem of domestic helper in Hong Kong is the place to sleep. Space in Hong Kong is very expensive so most helper that Xyza meet in Bethune house have slept in toilets, in the kitchen. Once you apply to an agency, you pay six months of salary. You cannot get away from your abusive employer because you have a dept to pay and you need to send money to your family. It is the system that allows the abuse to happen. If only we have the option (for the helper to live apart from their employer) we can avoid some of the abuse.
But as of now, it is illegal to live outside. It is hard because you are controlled by your employer. You don't have basic rights. If your employer needs you at 1 A.M, you can't say no because you live with them.
The scary part is termination. You've just arrived, you have a huge dept, and your employer doesn't like your face and can terminate you. A typical day for helpers: wake up early, take the kids to school, go to the market, cook lunch, pick the kids up, clean the house, prepare dinner, then clean the house again. It never really ends. But I think Hong Kong is still good compare to other countries. Xyza say she don't know how to explain her photography. She just walk around and shoot, also she don't have emotional attachment to her street photos. She just love walking around and shooting.
Xyza Cruz Bacani rose to prominence when she was featured in the New York Time Lens blog in June 2014. Her street photography is a touching look at the city.
Friday, June 26, 2015
A Filipina in Hong Kong Acquitted In Child Abuse Case
Jennet A.B., a domestic worker, heaved an audible sigh of relief
inside the courtroom after Magistrate Jason Wan Siuming junked the
“assault occasioning actual bodily harm” case against her on April 17.
Jennet and the boy were having a “pillow fight” in his bed when the
Filipina allegedly hit him in the face. Jennet said the boy
accidentally hit a window sill and she even called her female employer
to tell her about what happened. But when the female employer got home
later, the boy told her that Jennet hit him. The Filipina was accused
of hitting her ward on the face while they were playing inside his
bedroom on October 29 last year.
However, the judge said the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Jennet intended to hurt the boy. Because during the trial, defense lawyer Vandana Rajwani questioned the boy, who admitted that it was an accident and “it was nobody’s fault.” The boy changed his tune and said the “accident” was different from the incident when Jennet supposedly hit him. The Judge find the defendant not guilty of the charge…(The boy) gave confusing and sometimes contradictory evidence even on the most important issue. His evidence is not clear so the court cannot be sure (of Jennet’s alleged guilt). The medical evidence shows that he had an injury but it’s not clear how he got it. There are doubts that cannot be resolved. “The evidence provided by this boy is self-contradictory,” Rajwani said. “And when he gave evidence, there were no tears or emotion. It was not a harsh memory of abuse (for him). He just looked tired or bored,” she added. She noted that the boy claimed that he cried for two hours after Jennet hit him but CCTV footage showed him sleeping afterwards.
Because of her four-year-old ward’s conflicting testimony in court, a Filipina was acquitted of child abuse charges in the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts.
Judge Wan said to prove an “assault occasioning actual bodily harm” case, prosecutors should be able to show the “hostile intent” of the assailant. Because he said, he believe that this principle should also be applied to domestic helpers. Hostile intent should be proven. “Otherwise, it is not a case of abuse…it is not a case of assault,”the Judge added.
He noted that sometimes even parents who hit their children are acquitted of this charge because they reason out that they were only trying to discipline their children. A reminder to all OFW, please be very careful if you are working as domestic helper and you take care kids. Once they tell something to their parents, the parents automatically believe their children's story. So many helper gets terminated by their employer because of wrong accusation of the children. You done everything for their family but you are still nothing. You are lucky if your employer did not tolerate their children's tantrums. I hope this story can help those who want to work abroad. take some lesson from what happen to our fellow domestic helper.
However, the judge said the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Jennet intended to hurt the boy. Because during the trial, defense lawyer Vandana Rajwani questioned the boy, who admitted that it was an accident and “it was nobody’s fault.” The boy changed his tune and said the “accident” was different from the incident when Jennet supposedly hit him. The Judge find the defendant not guilty of the charge…(The boy) gave confusing and sometimes contradictory evidence even on the most important issue. His evidence is not clear so the court cannot be sure (of Jennet’s alleged guilt). The medical evidence shows that he had an injury but it’s not clear how he got it. There are doubts that cannot be resolved. “The evidence provided by this boy is self-contradictory,” Rajwani said. “And when he gave evidence, there were no tears or emotion. It was not a harsh memory of abuse (for him). He just looked tired or bored,” she added. She noted that the boy claimed that he cried for two hours after Jennet hit him but CCTV footage showed him sleeping afterwards.
Because of her four-year-old ward’s conflicting testimony in court, a Filipina was acquitted of child abuse charges in the Eastern Magistrates’ Courts.
Judge Wan said to prove an “assault occasioning actual bodily harm” case, prosecutors should be able to show the “hostile intent” of the assailant. Because he said, he believe that this principle should also be applied to domestic helpers. Hostile intent should be proven. “Otherwise, it is not a case of abuse…it is not a case of assault,”the Judge added.
He noted that sometimes even parents who hit their children are acquitted of this charge because they reason out that they were only trying to discipline their children. A reminder to all OFW, please be very careful if you are working as domestic helper and you take care kids. Once they tell something to their parents, the parents automatically believe their children's story. So many helper gets terminated by their employer because of wrong accusation of the children. You done everything for their family but you are still nothing. You are lucky if your employer did not tolerate their children's tantrums. I hope this story can help those who want to work abroad. take some lesson from what happen to our fellow domestic helper.
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Success Story of an OFW
Nowadays almost all the news about OFW is bad news. Like drug trafficking, OFW who become drug carrier and sentence to death in Indonesia. OFW who caught in Hong Kong carrying drugs. About an OFW who is tagged of one politician in Hong Kong as home wrecker, and so many more.
Let me share some good news about the success of an OFW's daughter who become the first Filipino elected in UK as town councilor. Cynthia Alcantara-Barker, a native of San Pablo City in Laguna was elected town councilor of Elstree and Borehamwood. This place is considered as England's version of Hollywood. Cynthia's mother was an OFW who went to the UK in 70's to support her five children.she consider her mother as her hero, later she joined her there in UK. Cynthia's mother was a school teacher who had to leave her family, including five young children. She made the same sacrifice that most OFW's make, sent all her money home while she work long hours to insure that the family was well-fed and educated. Almost all OFW's is same, they sacrifice working for long hours and away from home and family. Send all their salary to make sure the family have a brighter future.
Another successful story of an OFW.
Xyza Cruz Bacani, a Filipina domestic helper in Hong Kong who takes breathtaking street photography has been awarded the prestigious Magnum Human Rights scholarship to New York University. the 29 years old grew up in Nueva Vizcaya in Philippines. She went to Hong Kong as a maid to join her mother to work in the same employer. Her passion in photography blossomed after she buy her first camera few years after she moved in Hong Kong. she fell in love with the art. she work six days a week and spend her one day off roaming around in the streets of Hong Kong, capturing everything in her camera.
Maribelle an OFW who grew in Sanches Mira in Cagayan. This is is her story.
She leave her two kids at the very young age. She go and work in Taiwan for the first time for almost six years. when she go back in Philippines, she just stay for a while and decided she need to work again so she can send her two daughters in colleges. This time she go in Hong Kong to work again as a domestic Helper. she send all her salary to make sure the children will have their easy daily life and they can go to school without thinking of any problem but just to study hard. as of this moment I am writing this blog, her two daughters become successful. the eldest graduate in BS Biology with Master's degree. And her youngest graduate as a Pharmacist and now she is one of the Pharmacist in their province. And a self made business woman. Maribelle's sacrifices as an OFW need to be recognized by our government. If it is published so many will be encouraged to work abroad, to strive hard and make their dreams comes true.
This is only few success of the domestic helpers. There is still a lot of untold stories. Because mostly, the stories we can read is about crimes, violence, modern day slavery, drugs and many more. If only some of our government agencies also try to find out the success story of our fellow Filipino. It will inspire to those who want to work abroad.
Let me share some good news about the success of an OFW's daughter who become the first Filipino elected in UK as town councilor. Cynthia Alcantara-Barker, a native of San Pablo City in Laguna was elected town councilor of Elstree and Borehamwood. This place is considered as England's version of Hollywood. Cynthia's mother was an OFW who went to the UK in 70's to support her five children.she consider her mother as her hero, later she joined her there in UK. Cynthia's mother was a school teacher who had to leave her family, including five young children. She made the same sacrifice that most OFW's make, sent all her money home while she work long hours to insure that the family was well-fed and educated. Almost all OFW's is same, they sacrifice working for long hours and away from home and family. Send all their salary to make sure the family have a brighter future.
Another successful story of an OFW.
Xyza Cruz Bacani, a Filipina domestic helper in Hong Kong who takes breathtaking street photography has been awarded the prestigious Magnum Human Rights scholarship to New York University. the 29 years old grew up in Nueva Vizcaya in Philippines. She went to Hong Kong as a maid to join her mother to work in the same employer. Her passion in photography blossomed after she buy her first camera few years after she moved in Hong Kong. she fell in love with the art. she work six days a week and spend her one day off roaming around in the streets of Hong Kong, capturing everything in her camera.
Maribelle an OFW who grew in Sanches Mira in Cagayan. This is is her story.
She leave her two kids at the very young age. She go and work in Taiwan for the first time for almost six years. when she go back in Philippines, she just stay for a while and decided she need to work again so she can send her two daughters in colleges. This time she go in Hong Kong to work again as a domestic Helper. she send all her salary to make sure the children will have their easy daily life and they can go to school without thinking of any problem but just to study hard. as of this moment I am writing this blog, her two daughters become successful. the eldest graduate in BS Biology with Master's degree. And her youngest graduate as a Pharmacist and now she is one of the Pharmacist in their province. And a self made business woman. Maribelle's sacrifices as an OFW need to be recognized by our government. If it is published so many will be encouraged to work abroad, to strive hard and make their dreams comes true.
This is only few success of the domestic helpers. There is still a lot of untold stories. Because mostly, the stories we can read is about crimes, violence, modern day slavery, drugs and many more. If only some of our government agencies also try to find out the success story of our fellow Filipino. It will inspire to those who want to work abroad.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)