MANILA PHILIPPINES - Our presumptive president Rodrigo Duterte will aggressively implement thew country's family planning to push his economic growth agenda. And this move could add the simmering tensions with the Catholic church. As we all know here that Catholic church is against family planning program. Not all of us can remember that the Congress passed a law on December 2012, despite opposition from our Church leaders. Allowing public health centers to hand out contraceptives such as condoms and pills and teaching sex education in schools.
Actually I really don't understand why? Accept the truth that so many from poor family cannot fed their children 3 times a day, and cannot afford to send them to school. And our Catholic church did not help those families for their daily needs. Now, Ernesto Pernia said that Rodrigo Duterte is pushing for "rapid and sustained implementation" of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act. Pernia, a former university lecturer and Economist at the Asian Development Bank, will join Duterte's Cabinet as chief of the National Economic and Development Authority.
Duterte said, he would defy the Catholic church's opinion on family planning and he might push for a three child policy even if he did not elaborate how he will do it but I am happy about this news. In other country, especially in China they are following this kind of policy. And some of Duterte's economic program focuses on tackling the urgent need to cut red tape in government and addressing traffic problems in the capital to encourage investments in infrastructure and manufacturing, which will create more jobs. All we need to do is to follow if we want to change our life. we need to give chance to Rodrigo Duterte to prove that he can better in our beloved country the Philippines.
Me myself have only three kids. Because I know from the very start that it is really so hard to live especially that I belong from a poor family. I want to give a good life to my kids in form of the highest education. Now, I am thinking that if I did not use pills maybe my kids number is higher than three. I am waiting for the time that the three children policy will be implemented. How would Duterte will do, I will wait and see.
Monday, May 23, 2016
Monday, May 9, 2016
New website about the Philippines
A wide variety of topics was, what we wanted to share on our website. And finally, after one year being online, we can be lucky to see, how many guys are already using it to have further information about the Philippines. The most visitors are coming from United States and a bit unexpected for us, from the Philippines. Thanks for your interest and stay tuned. We are always working on it to improve the website and to bring more information to you.
We also included several pages with special information for interested Filipino who want to work abroad. Check it out: Working as OFW?
By the way: This website is of course usable on every device.
Kind regards
Tessy
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Erwana Sulistyaningshi's Worst Experience in Hong Kong as Domestic Helper
This is the story of how a simple Indonesian girl who dream to have a bright future end up to be starved and tortured for months, and how she win her battle in court with her employer.
Erwana Sulistyaningsih has come a long way from the Indonesian to Hong Kong in May 2013 looking for a way to earn more money, only to find herself starved and tortured for months. January 10, 2014, a very weak and skinny Erwana, who was 23 years old at the time, was put on a plane back home to Indonesia with only HK$100 ($12.90) and a t-shirt by her employer, Law Wan-tung. She had become too weak to walk after almost 8 months of torture. Pictures of badly beaten Erwana, looking frail and skinny and in a critical condition in a hospital in Sragen, Central Java, shocked the world. She stay in her employer for months, she later tell the court that she lived for bread and rice only. Slept for four hours a day and was regularly punch and beaten. Her employer put a vacuum cleaner into her mouth and twisted it round her lips until it was bleeding and very painful. Law, Erwana's employer also pushed her off the ladder. She often hit Erwana, sometimes her employer hit her from behind, sometimes in front. Erwana is being hit regularly that she already got headache, and she is hit in her mouth that she has difficulty in breathing.
Law, Erwana's employer was arrested on June 20, 2014 while trying to leave Hong Kong for Thailand.
Erwana's story spread around the world on social media, sparking outrage. It drew angry crowds on the streets of Hong Kong calling for better working conditions for domestic helpers and fueled criticism over their poor treatment. On April 7, Erwana, with Indonesian consulate staff seen at the Hong Kong airport, returns to provide her testimony against Law. Also on the same month, Erwana was named as one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People. She "could not be broken, nor could she be silenced," the magazine wrote, calling her "the migrant worker who fought back". "Erwana is advocating for better laws to protect others who may share her fate, placing a spotlight on the plight of a vulnerable and often invisible population. It is brave women like her who speak up for the voiceless who will create lasting change." In December 2014, Erwana arrives at the Wanchai Law Court's in Hong Kong to begin giving evidence against Law.
Law's trial began. Law faced 20 charges in court – also relating to two other former domestic helpers – including grievous bodily harm with intent, criminal intimidation and failure to pay wages. She pleaded not guilty to all but one of the charges against her, admitting only that she had failed to arrange insurance for Erwana. The trial, was lasted for 6 weeks, and was heavily covered by local and international media. Erwana described in vivid detail how she was tortured. In one incident, she said she was stripped naked, covered with water and made to stand in front of a fan in the bathroom in the middle of winter. Erwana don't want her case to this big because it's too much burden for her emotionally and psychologically. But she is also happy that through her case other cases have been exposed.
On February 10, 2015 the court found Law guilty of 18 of the 20 charges laid against her- a first in Hong Kong history. And on February 27, 2015 Erwana Sulistyaningshi arrives at the Hong Kong court for Law Wan-tung's sentencing. It's a victory for Erwana. Law, faced a maximum sentence of 7 years, was sentence to 6 years in jail. To all who want to go and work as a domestic helper, please be aware and have presence of mind. Not because you are a domestic helper you need to be silence even if your employer is torturing you. We have food allowance and it is stated in our contract so we have the right to ask for our food. Sometimes it is really hard to have a voice, but we need to show to our employer that we know our rights. Yes, I know it is easy to say that we need to show to our employer that we know our rights but it is hard to do it. First, we are scared that our employer will terminate the contract. Second, if we have loan from banks and our contract is terminated, where do we take money to pay our depths way back home? Third, if our employer terminate the contract, it is really hard to find another job. If we do, it will cost a lot of money again to pay the recruitment agency.
All this reason is the reason why there is still a lot of domestic helper who is suffering from the hands of their employer. But we must be brave to face them, or else we will become one of those who is working under modern day slavery. There are lot's of agencies who help those who want to break their contract. All we need to do is to know where they are. Lastly, before we go to the country where we want to work we need to learn all the important places of government offices whom we know that can help us. Be equipped with knowledge. And everything's gonna be alright
Erwana Sulistyaningsih has come a long way from the Indonesian to Hong Kong in May 2013 looking for a way to earn more money, only to find herself starved and tortured for months. January 10, 2014, a very weak and skinny Erwana, who was 23 years old at the time, was put on a plane back home to Indonesia with only HK$100 ($12.90) and a t-shirt by her employer, Law Wan-tung. She had become too weak to walk after almost 8 months of torture. Pictures of badly beaten Erwana, looking frail and skinny and in a critical condition in a hospital in Sragen, Central Java, shocked the world. She stay in her employer for months, she later tell the court that she lived for bread and rice only. Slept for four hours a day and was regularly punch and beaten. Her employer put a vacuum cleaner into her mouth and twisted it round her lips until it was bleeding and very painful. Law, Erwana's employer also pushed her off the ladder. She often hit Erwana, sometimes her employer hit her from behind, sometimes in front. Erwana is being hit regularly that she already got headache, and she is hit in her mouth that she has difficulty in breathing.
Law, Erwana's employer was arrested on June 20, 2014 while trying to leave Hong Kong for Thailand.
Erwana's story spread around the world on social media, sparking outrage. It drew angry crowds on the streets of Hong Kong calling for better working conditions for domestic helpers and fueled criticism over their poor treatment. On April 7, Erwana, with Indonesian consulate staff seen at the Hong Kong airport, returns to provide her testimony against Law. Also on the same month, Erwana was named as one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People. She "could not be broken, nor could she be silenced," the magazine wrote, calling her "the migrant worker who fought back". "Erwana is advocating for better laws to protect others who may share her fate, placing a spotlight on the plight of a vulnerable and often invisible population. It is brave women like her who speak up for the voiceless who will create lasting change." In December 2014, Erwana arrives at the Wanchai Law Court's in Hong Kong to begin giving evidence against Law.
Law's trial began. Law faced 20 charges in court – also relating to two other former domestic helpers – including grievous bodily harm with intent, criminal intimidation and failure to pay wages. She pleaded not guilty to all but one of the charges against her, admitting only that she had failed to arrange insurance for Erwana. The trial, was lasted for 6 weeks, and was heavily covered by local and international media. Erwana described in vivid detail how she was tortured. In one incident, she said she was stripped naked, covered with water and made to stand in front of a fan in the bathroom in the middle of winter. Erwana don't want her case to this big because it's too much burden for her emotionally and psychologically. But she is also happy that through her case other cases have been exposed.
On February 10, 2015 the court found Law guilty of 18 of the 20 charges laid against her- a first in Hong Kong history. And on February 27, 2015 Erwana Sulistyaningshi arrives at the Hong Kong court for Law Wan-tung's sentencing. It's a victory for Erwana. Law, faced a maximum sentence of 7 years, was sentence to 6 years in jail. To all who want to go and work as a domestic helper, please be aware and have presence of mind. Not because you are a domestic helper you need to be silence even if your employer is torturing you. We have food allowance and it is stated in our contract so we have the right to ask for our food. Sometimes it is really hard to have a voice, but we need to show to our employer that we know our rights. Yes, I know it is easy to say that we need to show to our employer that we know our rights but it is hard to do it. First, we are scared that our employer will terminate the contract. Second, if we have loan from banks and our contract is terminated, where do we take money to pay our depths way back home? Third, if our employer terminate the contract, it is really hard to find another job. If we do, it will cost a lot of money again to pay the recruitment agency.
All this reason is the reason why there is still a lot of domestic helper who is suffering from the hands of their employer. But we must be brave to face them, or else we will become one of those who is working under modern day slavery. There are lot's of agencies who help those who want to break their contract. All we need to do is to know where they are. Lastly, before we go to the country where we want to work we need to learn all the important places of government offices whom we know that can help us. Be equipped with knowledge. And everything's gonna be alright
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
A Filipina get's into trouble for a $35k Fake HKID.
Once you are in Hong Kong you need to have a Hong Kong ID and being a domestic helper, I pay only 350 Hong Kong dollar.This Filipina paid HK$35,000 to obtain her fake Hong Kong ID card in the hope that she could get a better-paying job. Although she initially enjoyed the benefit of the HK ID Card by being employed as a dishwasher at a restaurant in Sai Ying Pun, A.B. Balingao ultimately paid a heavier price – 17 months in prison – for the two charges of using a forged document, her Hong Kong ID. As well as breach of the conditions of her stay in Hong Kong.
Balingao was handed the sentence on June 30, after pleading guilty to the three charges. The defense lawyer asked the court to give her a lighter sentence, because Balingao is the sole breadwinner of her family consisting of her parents, four sisters, and three brothers – who are all farmers here in the Philippines, and her two daughters, aged 13 and 11. Balingao's husband has left her for another woman. The reason she committed the crime is because she was trying to earn more money. She knew it was a foolish act and she is remorseful. She has no other means to support her family, and her children will lose their schooling, so she decided to to work as dishwasher at restaurant.
However, Eastern Courts Principal Magistrate Bina Chainrai rejected the defense’s statement, saying that besides Balingao’s “voluntary surrender”, there was no humanitarian ground cited that could lighten the her sentence. Chainrai then handed 15 months for the charge of using a fake HK ID, and two months for the breach of the condition of her stay. We all must be very careful of our actions. Hong Kong really follow the rules and they implement it. She is already earning being a domestic helper, if her family know how to handle their finances the Hong Kong's domestic worker salary is big enough. And besides her family is not disabled and they can find work to help her for their daily needs.
The judge was supposed to give three months of imprisonment to Balingao for the breach of conditions of stay charge, but discounted one month after the she pleaded guilty. Balingao, 31 and from Baguio City, was initially employed as a domestic service worker when she arrived in the territory on March 26, 2014. She then initially worked as a part-time cleaner at the restaurant in Sai Ying Pun, and started working full-time there a few months after. It was unclear whether Balingao was terminated by her original employer or broke her original contract. On February 6, 2015, Balingao tried to en-cash a P12,000-cheque at the HSBC branch on Bonham Street using her fake HKID. A bank official then alerted the authorities after noticing that Balingao’s HKID had a prefix “R”, instead of “X” or “WX” used for foreign domestic workers. She know that she is using a fake HKID but she did not check it very well.
She also know that every transaction we made in Hong Kong, we need to use our HKID. Even if you want to buy sim card for cellphones. Hong Kong is very strict, we must know it. So to all those who want to work abroad, in any country make sure to know what you can do and what you cannot do. We are responsible to our own. Once they find and catch you, you cannot say that you don't know. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse. So it is better that we are aware of what we are doing.
Balingao was handed the sentence on June 30, after pleading guilty to the three charges. The defense lawyer asked the court to give her a lighter sentence, because Balingao is the sole breadwinner of her family consisting of her parents, four sisters, and three brothers – who are all farmers here in the Philippines, and her two daughters, aged 13 and 11. Balingao's husband has left her for another woman. The reason she committed the crime is because she was trying to earn more money. She knew it was a foolish act and she is remorseful. She has no other means to support her family, and her children will lose their schooling, so she decided to to work as dishwasher at restaurant.
However, Eastern Courts Principal Magistrate Bina Chainrai rejected the defense’s statement, saying that besides Balingao’s “voluntary surrender”, there was no humanitarian ground cited that could lighten the her sentence. Chainrai then handed 15 months for the charge of using a fake HK ID, and two months for the breach of the condition of her stay. We all must be very careful of our actions. Hong Kong really follow the rules and they implement it. She is already earning being a domestic helper, if her family know how to handle their finances the Hong Kong's domestic worker salary is big enough. And besides her family is not disabled and they can find work to help her for their daily needs.
The judge was supposed to give three months of imprisonment to Balingao for the breach of conditions of stay charge, but discounted one month after the she pleaded guilty. Balingao, 31 and from Baguio City, was initially employed as a domestic service worker when she arrived in the territory on March 26, 2014. She then initially worked as a part-time cleaner at the restaurant in Sai Ying Pun, and started working full-time there a few months after. It was unclear whether Balingao was terminated by her original employer or broke her original contract. On February 6, 2015, Balingao tried to en-cash a P12,000-cheque at the HSBC branch on Bonham Street using her fake HKID. A bank official then alerted the authorities after noticing that Balingao’s HKID had a prefix “R”, instead of “X” or “WX” used for foreign domestic workers. She know that she is using a fake HKID but she did not check it very well.
She also know that every transaction we made in Hong Kong, we need to use our HKID. Even if you want to buy sim card for cellphones. Hong Kong is very strict, we must know it. So to all those who want to work abroad, in any country make sure to know what you can do and what you cannot do. We are responsible to our own. Once they find and catch you, you cannot say that you don't know. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse. So it is better that we are aware of what we are doing.
Senator Bongbong Marcos Jr. seeks agency focusing on OFW's.
Senator Bongbong Marcos Jr. on Wednesday stressed the need to create an agency that would solely tend to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their concerns. “Many have suggested, and I agree, that it’s time we have a Department of OFW so we would have a Cabinet Secretary who is dedicated to the task of addressing issues of OFWs,” Marcos said in a press statement. This is good news to all OFW's because we really need help and assistance from our government. They called us "modern day hero" but once we encounter problem in our work, in other country, it is really hard to find help. He said that although there are various government agencies that deal with specific OFW concerns, these are loosely coordinated. He added that some agencies often issue regulations that make life more difficult for OFWs. The senator noted the imposition of terminal fees that OFWs have to pay when they make an airline booking, and to think we are exempted from payment of such fees.
He said even if OFWs are entitled to a refund, many of them fail to get their money back either because they don’t know about it or because of the complicated refund procedure. “We need somebody—say the Secretary of the Department of OFW—to coordinate the delivery of services of all these agencies dealing with OFWs, study all the problems of our workers abroad, and find solutions to their problems,” Marcos said. And he is right about this. We need a government agency that will focus only for the welfare of all OFW's. He said a separate department for OFWs is necessary because overseas workers have their own unique concerns that pertain only to their sector.
However, Marcos said efforts to push for the creation of a department for OFWs will not prosper without Malacanang’s support. “We may be able to pass such a measure in Congress but if the President refuses to sign it, it won’t become a law,” he said. All OFWs deserve a better treatment from the government. He stressed that during the global economic crisis, the Philippines managed to weather the storm with the help of OFW remittances.
Bongbong seeks agency focusing on OFW's. we contribute a lot in our Phillipine government. We hope that this will soon to happen and the President will sign it.
He said even if OFWs are entitled to a refund, many of them fail to get their money back either because they don’t know about it or because of the complicated refund procedure. “We need somebody—say the Secretary of the Department of OFW—to coordinate the delivery of services of all these agencies dealing with OFWs, study all the problems of our workers abroad, and find solutions to their problems,” Marcos said. And he is right about this. We need a government agency that will focus only for the welfare of all OFW's. He said a separate department for OFWs is necessary because overseas workers have their own unique concerns that pertain only to their sector.
However, Marcos said efforts to push for the creation of a department for OFWs will not prosper without Malacanang’s support. “We may be able to pass such a measure in Congress but if the President refuses to sign it, it won’t become a law,” he said. All OFWs deserve a better treatment from the government. He stressed that during the global economic crisis, the Philippines managed to weather the storm with the help of OFW remittances.
Bongbong seeks agency focusing on OFW's. we contribute a lot in our Phillipine government. We hope that this will soon to happen and the President will sign it.
US hits abuse of Filipino Domestic Helpers in Hong Kong
As all of us know that domestic helpers all over the world especially in Hong Kong suffered abuse from their own employer. Not all but so many. Our family back home did not know really what is happening to us, it is because we just post nice and happy pictures in Facebook. For me, my reason is I really don't want them to see and know how hard to work abroad especially being a domestic helper. The United States has criticized the abuses suffered by foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong and urged the territory's government to enact a comprehensive anti-trafficking law to prevent these from happening. In it's 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report, the US State Department said Hong Kong was a destination, transit, and source territory for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor.
More than 320,000 foreign domestic workers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Burma, and Bangladesh work in Hong Kong; some become victims of forced labor in the private homes in which they are employed. It is because recruiters in the Philippines and Indonesia generally charge excessive job placement fees, which may lead to situations of debt bondage in Hong Kong. And those that their contract is being terminated by their employer or the domestic helper will be the one who break contract have a hard time to find new employer because some domestic worker employment agencies in Hong Kong charge fees in excess of the maximum allowed under Hong Kong law. And the accumulated debts sometimes amount to up to 80 percent of worker's salaries for the first six to seven months of employment. And some worker's are unwilling to report abusive employers for fear of losing their jobs and being unable to repay their debts; some employers or employment agencies illegally withhold passports, employment contracts, or other possessions until the debt is paid. And even if you don't have debt from employment agency, there is really employers who take the passport and employment contracts. Even though it is illegal, me myself cannot do anything about this in fear that my employer will terminate my contract.
The US State Department also noted that domestic workers have also reported working 17-hour's a day, and that is really true. Some is available 24 hours a day because the employer will call even if it is one o'clock in the morning and you just go to bed to rest. Some is receiving less than minimum wage, experiencing physical or verbal abuse and confinement in their employer’s home, and not receiving a legally required weekly day off. And I have my own experience that. For two years in Malaysia, I never have my day off. This is some of the things that domestic helper suffered from the hands of their employers. Sad to say but the only thing that give courage to all OFW to continue their work even if it is really so hard is the love for their family, the dreams that one day soon, they/we can give brighter future to our children in the highest form of education. This is the life that OFW endured, I hope that through my blog, I can reach out some family that they have relatives in other country. For them to know that life for us here working abroad is like a bed of roses but full of thorns.
More than 320,000 foreign domestic workers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Burma, and Bangladesh work in Hong Kong; some become victims of forced labor in the private homes in which they are employed. It is because recruiters in the Philippines and Indonesia generally charge excessive job placement fees, which may lead to situations of debt bondage in Hong Kong. And those that their contract is being terminated by their employer or the domestic helper will be the one who break contract have a hard time to find new employer because some domestic worker employment agencies in Hong Kong charge fees in excess of the maximum allowed under Hong Kong law. And the accumulated debts sometimes amount to up to 80 percent of worker's salaries for the first six to seven months of employment. And some worker's are unwilling to report abusive employers for fear of losing their jobs and being unable to repay their debts; some employers or employment agencies illegally withhold passports, employment contracts, or other possessions until the debt is paid. And even if you don't have debt from employment agency, there is really employers who take the passport and employment contracts. Even though it is illegal, me myself cannot do anything about this in fear that my employer will terminate my contract.
The US State Department also noted that domestic workers have also reported working 17-hour's a day, and that is really true. Some is available 24 hours a day because the employer will call even if it is one o'clock in the morning and you just go to bed to rest. Some is receiving less than minimum wage, experiencing physical or verbal abuse and confinement in their employer’s home, and not receiving a legally required weekly day off. And I have my own experience that. For two years in Malaysia, I never have my day off. This is some of the things that domestic helper suffered from the hands of their employers. Sad to say but the only thing that give courage to all OFW to continue their work even if it is really so hard is the love for their family, the dreams that one day soon, they/we can give brighter future to our children in the highest form of education. This is the life that OFW endured, I hope that through my blog, I can reach out some family that they have relatives in other country. For them to know that life for us here working abroad is like a bed of roses but full of thorns.
Friday, June 26, 2015
The Story of Xyza Cruz Bacani
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)