Shura Council to Debate Proposed Annex to Labor Law
March 13, 2009
http://www.hrw.org
Human Rights Watch
The Saudi government has an opportunity to improve conditions for domestic workers dramatically and to serve as a model for the region. It should adopt these reforms quickly to prevent future cases of abuse. - Nisha Varia, Deputy Director of the Women's Rights Division
(New York) - Saudi Arabia's Shura Council should ensure that proposed labor protections for domestic workers adhere to international standards and recommend their prompt enactment, Human Rights Watch today. The Shura Council is planning to discuss the draft annex to the labor law next week and to make recommendations to the Saudi cabinet, which can enact the measure into law.
Saudi Arabia's current labor law excludes domestic workers, denying them rights guaranteed to other workers, such as a weekly day of rest, limits to hours of work, and overtime pay. A 2008 Human Rights Watch report, "‘As If I Am Not Human': Abuses Against Asian Domestic Workers in Saudi Arabia," documented how domestic workers often worked 18 hours a day, seven days a week, and had little power to collect owed wages in labor disputes.
"The Saudi government has an opportunity to improve conditions for domestic workers dramatically and to serve as a model for the region," said Nisha Varia, deputy director of the women's rights division at Human Rights Watch. "It should adopt these reforms quickly to prevent future cases of abuse."
The Shura Council is a consultative body. It debates draft legislation presented by the cabinet and, once approved, the draft law goes back to the cabinet which can make further changes and enact it into law.
Approximately 1.5 million women from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and other countries are employed as domestic workers in Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities and the foreign missions of domestic workers' home countries receive thousands of complaints of labor exploitation or abuse each year. Excessive workload and unpaid wages, for periods ranging from a few months to 10 years, are among the most common complaints.
Many more cases probably go unreported, given domestic workers' isolation in private homes, employers' ability to have workers summarily deported, and migrants' lack of information about their rights.
"The Shura Council should ensure that the proposed reforms provide domestic workers the same rights accorded other workers under the labor law," said Varia. "Working in private homes does not mean they should lose basic protections, and guaranteeing these rights by law can be especially important since they work out of the public view."
Domestic workers' rights are further compromised by the restrictive kafala (sponsorship) system, which ties migrant workers' visas to their employers, and means employers can deny workers the ability to change jobs or leave the country. Human Rights Watch interviewed dozens of domestic workers who said their employers forced them to work against their will for months or years. In other cases, domestic workers face forced confinement in the home, or physical and sexual abuse.
"Comprehensive reforms by the Saudi government are long overdue," said Varia. "Extending the labor law is an important first step the Saudi government can take to fight labor exploitation and violence against domestic workers."
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Unwanted bus drivers still stranded in UAE after one month
Author: BI-ME staff
Source: BI-ME
Published: Wed May 27, 2009 9:52 am
UAE. About a month since the issue of the stranded Filipino bus drivers came out, 76 of the original 137 trafficked Filipino bus drivers are still stranded in Ajman.
Susan Ople, President of the Blas F Ople Policy Center in the Philppines, has asked that the passport of their recruiter, Connie Paloma, be cancelled after the Senate issued a subpoena for her repeated failure to attend Senate hearings on the case.
Press reports from the Philippines said that the recruitment agent Paloma was spotted in Dubai, where she reportedly went to convince some of the bus drivers to withdraw the multiple cases they filed against her.
Irenea Maniego, wife of one of the bus drivers, was reported as saying that her husband continues to languish at an Ajman labour camp as he awaits the resolution of the issue of fines he’s supposed to pay for overstaying. The drivers had arrived on visit visas in the hope of taking up jobs in Dubai that never materialised.
She said finalisation of the police case is needed so that he could either come home or seek employment in other Dubai-based companies.
Maniego said her husband has accumulated the equivalent of US$1,000 in fines due to expired visas.
The unsettled issue of fines is understood to be what stands in the way of the 76 drivers’ eventual repatriation, or in the case of 15 drivers among them, their absorption into the workforce of the Dubai-based Emirates Catering.
At the hearing, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Carmelita Dimzon explained that the Philippine Overseas Labor Officer (POLO) is still negotiating with Al Toomoh Technical Services, the UAE-based partner of CYM International Services and Placement Agency which recruited the bus drivers, to pay for the penalties the drivers incurred for overstaying.
Lawyer Reynaldo Robles, who is representing the bus drivers, said his office and the Ople Policy Center have been receiving calls and texts messages from the drivers still stranded in the UAE almost daily pleading that they be brought home.
Robles described the drivers’ condition as deplorable because they stay in cramped quarters adjacent to a garbage dumpsite with no power and no running water amidst dwindling food supply, most of which was earlier donated by Filipinos in Dubai.
Source: BI-ME
Published: Wed May 27, 2009 9:52 am
UAE. About a month since the issue of the stranded Filipino bus drivers came out, 76 of the original 137 trafficked Filipino bus drivers are still stranded in Ajman.
Susan Ople, President of the Blas F Ople Policy Center in the Philppines, has asked that the passport of their recruiter, Connie Paloma, be cancelled after the Senate issued a subpoena for her repeated failure to attend Senate hearings on the case.
Press reports from the Philippines said that the recruitment agent Paloma was spotted in Dubai, where she reportedly went to convince some of the bus drivers to withdraw the multiple cases they filed against her.
Irenea Maniego, wife of one of the bus drivers, was reported as saying that her husband continues to languish at an Ajman labour camp as he awaits the resolution of the issue of fines he’s supposed to pay for overstaying. The drivers had arrived on visit visas in the hope of taking up jobs in Dubai that never materialised.
She said finalisation of the police case is needed so that he could either come home or seek employment in other Dubai-based companies.
Maniego said her husband has accumulated the equivalent of US$1,000 in fines due to expired visas.
The unsettled issue of fines is understood to be what stands in the way of the 76 drivers’ eventual repatriation, or in the case of 15 drivers among them, their absorption into the workforce of the Dubai-based Emirates Catering.
At the hearing, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Carmelita Dimzon explained that the Philippine Overseas Labor Officer (POLO) is still negotiating with Al Toomoh Technical Services, the UAE-based partner of CYM International Services and Placement Agency which recruited the bus drivers, to pay for the penalties the drivers incurred for overstaying.
Lawyer Reynaldo Robles, who is representing the bus drivers, said his office and the Ople Policy Center have been receiving calls and texts messages from the drivers still stranded in the UAE almost daily pleading that they be brought home.
Robles described the drivers’ condition as deplorable because they stay in cramped quarters adjacent to a garbage dumpsite with no power and no running water amidst dwindling food supply, most of which was earlier donated by Filipinos in Dubai.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
HSW reforms draw positive response in Saudi Arabia
Department of Labor and Employment, www.dole.gov.ph
News Article
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
The Philippine reforms on the deployment of Filipino household service workers (HSWs) that was strongly opposed for raising the HSWs' minimum monthly wage from US$200 to US$400 generated positive changes that removed the slave-like classification of domestic work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) today said.
Labor and Employment Secretary Arturo D. Brion said the reform package raised not only the deployment wage of Filipino HSWs but also the job category of domestic helpers in the Kingdom from a lowly qadama or slave to HSW, which has been recognized as a position requiring set of skills, training, and at least a high school education.
Brion, citing a report from Riyadh-based Labor Attache Rustico dela Fuente, said the new policy also elicited a higher level of respect for Filipino HSWs from Saudi employers.
He said the new policy on Filipino domestic workers and the change in position title to HSWs resulted in the recognition and greater respect for Filipino HSWs as skilled workers who should not be abused but rather cared for and provided with better employment terms and conditions. Otherwise, employers may lose the vital services of Filipino HSWs.
The new thinking, Brion said, is being manifested by employers and their representatives who come to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Riyadh almost everyday indicating their support and compliance with the policy.
"The objective of promoting the welfare and protecting the interest of Filipino HSWs is certainly served by the policy itself," the Labor Chief said.
In December 2006, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) issued a package of welfare and protection reforms for HSWs raising the minimum salary of overseas Filipino HSWs from $200 monthly to $400 monthly. It removed from the HSWs the payment of placement fee. The HSWs, nonetheless, are required to undergo assessment. Those who fail the assessment three times will have to undergo skills training.
The new POEA rules for HSWs were strongly opposed due to fears that they may push employers overseas to hire HSWs from other countries who are willing to receive lower wages, thereby, easing out HSWs from the Philippines.
Contrary to such fears, Dela Fuente in his report said that 12 Saudi manpower agencies filed their application with POLO-Riyadh between May and August 2007 alone for pre-qualification to participate in the HSW new deployment scheme.
The labor attaché noted that Saudi recruiters initially expressed dismay on the implementation of the new policy for Filipino HSWs. The Saudis, however, began to give in as shown by daily appearances of employers or their representatives at the POLO to comply with the new HSW policy.
Source: Information and Publication Service
News Article
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
The Philippine reforms on the deployment of Filipino household service workers (HSWs) that was strongly opposed for raising the HSWs' minimum monthly wage from US$200 to US$400 generated positive changes that removed the slave-like classification of domestic work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) today said.
Labor and Employment Secretary Arturo D. Brion said the reform package raised not only the deployment wage of Filipino HSWs but also the job category of domestic helpers in the Kingdom from a lowly qadama or slave to HSW, which has been recognized as a position requiring set of skills, training, and at least a high school education.
Brion, citing a report from Riyadh-based Labor Attache Rustico dela Fuente, said the new policy also elicited a higher level of respect for Filipino HSWs from Saudi employers.
He said the new policy on Filipino domestic workers and the change in position title to HSWs resulted in the recognition and greater respect for Filipino HSWs as skilled workers who should not be abused but rather cared for and provided with better employment terms and conditions. Otherwise, employers may lose the vital services of Filipino HSWs.
The new thinking, Brion said, is being manifested by employers and their representatives who come to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Riyadh almost everyday indicating their support and compliance with the policy.
"The objective of promoting the welfare and protecting the interest of Filipino HSWs is certainly served by the policy itself," the Labor Chief said.
In December 2006, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) issued a package of welfare and protection reforms for HSWs raising the minimum salary of overseas Filipino HSWs from $200 monthly to $400 monthly. It removed from the HSWs the payment of placement fee. The HSWs, nonetheless, are required to undergo assessment. Those who fail the assessment three times will have to undergo skills training.
The new POEA rules for HSWs were strongly opposed due to fears that they may push employers overseas to hire HSWs from other countries who are willing to receive lower wages, thereby, easing out HSWs from the Philippines.
Contrary to such fears, Dela Fuente in his report said that 12 Saudi manpower agencies filed their application with POLO-Riyadh between May and August 2007 alone for pre-qualification to participate in the HSW new deployment scheme.
The labor attaché noted that Saudi recruiters initially expressed dismay on the implementation of the new policy for Filipino HSWs. The Saudis, however, began to give in as shown by daily appearances of employers or their representatives at the POLO to comply with the new HSW policy.
Source: Information and Publication Service
Saudi Arabia launches online service for inquiries on OFW iqamas, visas
Department of Labor and Employment, www.dole.gov.ph
News Article
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) can now inquire about the status of their Iqamas or obtain information on their application for exit and entry visas and other procedures through the Internet, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) today said.
Citing an information from the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Makati City, Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito D. Roque said the KSA's Ministry of Interior has launched an online service which would allow Saudi citizens and expatriates including OFWs to inquire about their IDs, Iqamas, and visas as well as eligibility to perform Haj and other procedures in the Kingdom.
Roque welcomed the new electronic service as this would spare the OFWs from going through the tedious process of inquiring directly with concerned offices in KSA about the status of required documents such as Iqamas and visas.
The website can also provide KSA employers a list of their workers from abroad who have not yet been issued iqamas. The latter is an official identity card depicting an individual as a resident of the Kingdom. Without an iqama, one cannot open a bank account, buy a car, or rent a place to live in Saudi Arabia. The employer usually takes the initiative of ensuring that his/her foreign employee receives an iqama. However, foreign workers in the Kingdom shall take the initiative in the iqama's renewal.
The DOLE Chief said OFWs can simply go to www.moi.gov.sa for the needed information. He called on Filipino groups in KSA to inform their members about the new online service even as he directed the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs) in KSA to massively circulate an advisory on such service in the Filipino community in the Kingdom.
KSA remains the top destination of OFWs. In 2008, a total of 275,933 OFWs was deployed to this country covering 28.3 % or over a fourth of the total 974,399 OFW deployment during the year.
Owing to the large OFW population in KSA, the DOLE established four POLOs in the Kingdom - in Riyadh, Al Khobar, CRO, and Jeddah where large concentrations of OFWs are situated.
source: Information and Publication Service
News Article
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) can now inquire about the status of their Iqamas or obtain information on their application for exit and entry visas and other procedures through the Internet, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) today said.
Citing an information from the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Makati City, Labor and Employment Secretary Marianito D. Roque said the KSA's Ministry of Interior has launched an online service which would allow Saudi citizens and expatriates including OFWs to inquire about their IDs, Iqamas, and visas as well as eligibility to perform Haj and other procedures in the Kingdom.
Roque welcomed the new electronic service as this would spare the OFWs from going through the tedious process of inquiring directly with concerned offices in KSA about the status of required documents such as Iqamas and visas.
The website can also provide KSA employers a list of their workers from abroad who have not yet been issued iqamas. The latter is an official identity card depicting an individual as a resident of the Kingdom. Without an iqama, one cannot open a bank account, buy a car, or rent a place to live in Saudi Arabia. The employer usually takes the initiative of ensuring that his/her foreign employee receives an iqama. However, foreign workers in the Kingdom shall take the initiative in the iqama's renewal.
The DOLE Chief said OFWs can simply go to www.moi.gov.sa for the needed information. He called on Filipino groups in KSA to inform their members about the new online service even as he directed the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs) in KSA to massively circulate an advisory on such service in the Filipino community in the Kingdom.
KSA remains the top destination of OFWs. In 2008, a total of 275,933 OFWs was deployed to this country covering 28.3 % or over a fourth of the total 974,399 OFW deployment during the year.
Owing to the large OFW population in KSA, the DOLE established four POLOs in the Kingdom - in Riyadh, Al Khobar, CRO, and Jeddah where large concentrations of OFWs are situated.
source: Information and Publication Service
Filipino seamen’s remittances up by 5.5%—TUCP
RP sailors on foreign ships to hit .5M in 5 years
INQUIRER.net
Posted date: May 26, 2009
MANILA, Philippines—Remittances from Filipino sailors increased by 5.52 percent (or $41.851 million) to $800.535 million in the first quarter versus $758.684 million in the same period in 2008, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said Tuesday.
TUCP secretary-general and former Senator Ernesto Herrera said this is higher than the cash wired home by land-based migrant Filipino workers which grew by only 2.03 percent (or $64.697 million) to $3.256 billion in the first quarter compared to $3.191 billion in the same period in 2008.
"The rate of increase in remittances from sea-based Filipino workers abroad continues to outpace considerably the growth rate in money transfers from land-based laborers," he noted in a statement.
And Herrera attributed the continued growth in remittances from sea-based Filipino workers increased deployment on account of global demographics.
“Despite the severe global recession, compared to a decade ago, the world’s economy and population today are much larger, thus requiring more ships to move all sorts of commodities faster across continents,” he pointed out.
He also said a growing number of American, European, and Japanese sailors are fast approaching retirement age, and are being replaced wholesale by younger Filipinos.
"Western and Japanese sailors are also increasingly shunning jobs on board ships, preferring shipping desk or port-related jobs instead," he added.
Remittances from sea-based workers are also partly being propped up by Filipino hospitality workers on cruise ships, according to Herrera, former chairman of the Senate committee on labor, employment, and human resources development.
The global economic crisis raised the specter of thousands of Filipino sailors returning home jobless as shipping slows down with trade.
Barring a catastrophic global economic depression, he said the over 350,000 Filipino sailors on foreign vessels at any given time could easily rise to 500,000 in five years.
In the first quarter, the top 10 sources of remittances from Filipinos sailors were the United States ($399.912 million); Japan ($75.057 million); Norway ($70.351 million); Great Britain ($56.323 million); Germany ($50.82 million); Singapore ($32.178 million); Greece ($29.342 million); Cyprus ($15.773 million); the Netherlands ($12.233 million); and Denmark ($11.054 million).
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas earlier reported that total remittances from migrant Filipino workers (based on both land and sea) expanded by 2.7 percent (or $106.548 million) to $4.057 billion in the first quarter versus $3.950 billion in the same period in 2008.
Of the $106.548 million year-on-year net increase in remittances, 40 percent was from sea-based workers, while 60 percent was from those based on land.
Herrera, meanwhile, urged the government to step up pressure on shipping firms and their staffing agencies to secure the release of the last 44 Filipino sailors still being held captives at sea by Somali pirates on board four vessels.
INQUIRER.net
Posted date: May 26, 2009
MANILA, Philippines—Remittances from Filipino sailors increased by 5.52 percent (or $41.851 million) to $800.535 million in the first quarter versus $758.684 million in the same period in 2008, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said Tuesday.
TUCP secretary-general and former Senator Ernesto Herrera said this is higher than the cash wired home by land-based migrant Filipino workers which grew by only 2.03 percent (or $64.697 million) to $3.256 billion in the first quarter compared to $3.191 billion in the same period in 2008.
"The rate of increase in remittances from sea-based Filipino workers abroad continues to outpace considerably the growth rate in money transfers from land-based laborers," he noted in a statement.
And Herrera attributed the continued growth in remittances from sea-based Filipino workers increased deployment on account of global demographics.
“Despite the severe global recession, compared to a decade ago, the world’s economy and population today are much larger, thus requiring more ships to move all sorts of commodities faster across continents,” he pointed out.
He also said a growing number of American, European, and Japanese sailors are fast approaching retirement age, and are being replaced wholesale by younger Filipinos.
"Western and Japanese sailors are also increasingly shunning jobs on board ships, preferring shipping desk or port-related jobs instead," he added.
Remittances from sea-based workers are also partly being propped up by Filipino hospitality workers on cruise ships, according to Herrera, former chairman of the Senate committee on labor, employment, and human resources development.
The global economic crisis raised the specter of thousands of Filipino sailors returning home jobless as shipping slows down with trade.
Barring a catastrophic global economic depression, he said the over 350,000 Filipino sailors on foreign vessels at any given time could easily rise to 500,000 in five years.
In the first quarter, the top 10 sources of remittances from Filipinos sailors were the United States ($399.912 million); Japan ($75.057 million); Norway ($70.351 million); Great Britain ($56.323 million); Germany ($50.82 million); Singapore ($32.178 million); Greece ($29.342 million); Cyprus ($15.773 million); the Netherlands ($12.233 million); and Denmark ($11.054 million).
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas earlier reported that total remittances from migrant Filipino workers (based on both land and sea) expanded by 2.7 percent (or $106.548 million) to $4.057 billion in the first quarter versus $3.950 billion in the same period in 2008.
Of the $106.548 million year-on-year net increase in remittances, 40 percent was from sea-based workers, while 60 percent was from those based on land.
Herrera, meanwhile, urged the government to step up pressure on shipping firms and their staffing agencies to secure the release of the last 44 Filipino sailors still being held captives at sea by Somali pirates on board four vessels.
Saudi sets new age limit for OFWs
By Cynthia Balana
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: May 26, 2009
MANILA, Philippines—Saudi Arabia has released a new minimum age requirement for employment in several categories of Filipino workers to make sure they are mature enough to work in the kingdom.
The new minimum age requirements for the following categories are as follows: Domestic helper—21 years; female nurse and flight attendant—21 years; babysitter (should be Muslim)—21 years; dressmaker—30 years; salesman for textiles and ladies wear apparel shops—40 years; barber—35 years; physical therapist—35 years; family driver—21 years, and male worker—21 years.
Consul Faisal H. Al-Kahtani, head of the consular section of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Manila, said the new age limit would take effect immediately and would be strictly enforced.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: May 26, 2009
MANILA, Philippines—Saudi Arabia has released a new minimum age requirement for employment in several categories of Filipino workers to make sure they are mature enough to work in the kingdom.
The new minimum age requirements for the following categories are as follows: Domestic helper—21 years; female nurse and flight attendant—21 years; babysitter (should be Muslim)—21 years; dressmaker—30 years; salesman for textiles and ladies wear apparel shops—40 years; barber—35 years; physical therapist—35 years; family driver—21 years, and male worker—21 years.
Consul Faisal H. Al-Kahtani, head of the consular section of the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Manila, said the new age limit would take effect immediately and would be strictly enforced.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Saudi backs RP efforts to increase wages of maids
By Jerome Aning
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: March 05, 2008
MANILA, Philippines -- A recruitment regulatory body in Saudi Arabia supports the Philippine government’s efforts to improve the plight of Filipino household workers, including the plan to raise their monthly wages from US$200 to US$400, Labor Secretary Arturo Brion said Wednesday.
In a press statement, Brion said the Saudi National Recruitment Committee (Sanarcom) now supports the package of reforms being pushed by the Department of Labor and Employment.
Brion said the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in the Saudi capital Riyadh successfully promoted the new policy for domestics despite opposition by employers and employment agencies in the kingdom.
POLO-Riyadh received the statement of support from Sanarcom Chairman Saad N. Al Baddah. The committee is an affiliate of the Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Brion said Sanarcom’s support also shows that many Saudis still prefer Filipino skills and are willing to hire Filipino maids despite the availability of domestic workers from other countries.
Citing the report of Riyadh-based Labor Attache Rustico dela Fuente, Brion said Sanarcom was originally one of the organized manpower agencies in the Gulf region that opposed the reform package.
He said Sanarcom eventually gave its nod to the policy when Dela Fuente issued to Saad's recruitment agency the certificate of prequalification indicating the latter's consent to participate in implementing the new policy.
In December 2006, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) came out a package of welfare and protection reforms for household workers seeking a minimum salary of $400 monthly.
Applicants, however, were required to undergo periodic assessment.
The new POEA policy governing the deployment of household helpers was strongly opposed due to fears that it may push employers overseas to hire maids from other countries who were willing to work for lower wages.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: March 05, 2008
MANILA, Philippines -- A recruitment regulatory body in Saudi Arabia supports the Philippine government’s efforts to improve the plight of Filipino household workers, including the plan to raise their monthly wages from US$200 to US$400, Labor Secretary Arturo Brion said Wednesday.
In a press statement, Brion said the Saudi National Recruitment Committee (Sanarcom) now supports the package of reforms being pushed by the Department of Labor and Employment.
Brion said the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in the Saudi capital Riyadh successfully promoted the new policy for domestics despite opposition by employers and employment agencies in the kingdom.
POLO-Riyadh received the statement of support from Sanarcom Chairman Saad N. Al Baddah. The committee is an affiliate of the Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Brion said Sanarcom’s support also shows that many Saudis still prefer Filipino skills and are willing to hire Filipino maids despite the availability of domestic workers from other countries.
Citing the report of Riyadh-based Labor Attache Rustico dela Fuente, Brion said Sanarcom was originally one of the organized manpower agencies in the Gulf region that opposed the reform package.
He said Sanarcom eventually gave its nod to the policy when Dela Fuente issued to Saad's recruitment agency the certificate of prequalification indicating the latter's consent to participate in implementing the new policy.
In December 2006, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) came out a package of welfare and protection reforms for household workers seeking a minimum salary of $400 monthly.
Applicants, however, were required to undergo periodic assessment.
The new POEA policy governing the deployment of household helpers was strongly opposed due to fears that it may push employers overseas to hire maids from other countries who were willing to work for lower wages.
Saudi police nab Filipino maid
Arab News and INQUIRER.NET
Posted date: January 28, 2009
JEDDAH—Saudi police arrested a Filipina housemaid who allegedly stole cash and jewelry worth SR180,000 from her employer in the eastern province before fleeing here.
The Filipina traveled to the city by road avoiding checkpoints, said Jeddah police spokesman Colonel Misfar Al-Juaid.
“She traveled by different cars and buses hoping police would not find her. She hoped to find a job in Jeddah as a housemaid and planned to go back to the Philippines at the first opportunity,” he said.
“Detectives investigating the case traced her here,” he said, adding the woman was given shelter by her compatriots in the city.
He said the woman “confessed that she stole the valuables and cash from her employer’s house while the family was out to attend a function.”
Posted date: January 28, 2009
JEDDAH—Saudi police arrested a Filipina housemaid who allegedly stole cash and jewelry worth SR180,000 from her employer in the eastern province before fleeing here.
The Filipina traveled to the city by road avoiding checkpoints, said Jeddah police spokesman Colonel Misfar Al-Juaid.
“She traveled by different cars and buses hoping police would not find her. She hoped to find a job in Jeddah as a housemaid and planned to go back to the Philippines at the first opportunity,” he said.
“Detectives investigating the case traced her here,” he said, adding the woman was given shelter by her compatriots in the city.
He said the woman “confessed that she stole the valuables and cash from her employer’s house while the family was out to attend a function.”
Saudi religious police arrest Filipina nurse, male colleague
Arab News
Posted date: May 01, 2008
RIYADH -- Saudi Arabia’s religious police have arrested a Filipina nurse for sitting in a restaurant with a male colleague, a Philippine diplomat said.
Abigail Valdez, a nurse who works at the Riyadh Military Hospital, is being held at Al-Malaz Prison on charges of “immorality,” Philippine Ambassador Antonio P. Villamor told Arab News.
Villamor said the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh was trying to gain access to Valdez, who was arrested by members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice on Monday evening for being with an unrelated man, a taboo in the ultra-conservative Islamic kingdom.
But Vice Consul Gerardo P. Abiog, who is in charge of the embassy’s Assistance to Nationals Section, said Filipino embassy officials who went to see Valdez were denied access by Saudi authorities.
“She would be released if the hospital (where she works) intervenes. She’s still in jail,” said Abiog, adding that prison authorities said they needed the approval of senior authorities.
“In the past, Riyadh Military Hospital has not intervened in such a case, saying the legal system should prevail,” he said. “I don’t think she has been allowed contact with anyone. Even we at the embassy are having difficulty trying to see and talk to her.”
The embassy official said that in such cases, it first investigates the incident and then tries talking to the person’s employer to get them bail out the individual. “However, we cannot force the employer if they do not want to act,” Abiog said.
Unrelated men and women caught dining at a Saudi restaurant would normally be sentenced to four months in jail and 100 lashes. The same punishment applies to a man and a woman caught in a state of seclusion (khulwa).
Women in Saudi Arabia, which applies a rigorous doctrine of Islam known as Wahhabism, face a host of constraints, including a ban on driving. They are forced to cover from head to toe in public, and cannot mix with men other than relatives or travel without written permission from their male guardian.
Valdez’s male colleague, who is of a Western nationality, was released several hours after being taken to a commission center and then to a police station. The man, who asked his name not be published, had his feet shackled when he resisted arrest.
“I am not going to play stupid here,” he told Arab News when asked about his knowledge of the Kingdom’s rules.
“Every country in the world allows access to a legal representative once arresting procedures take place. Here you can get arrested and thrown into jail without anyone knowing,” he said.
He added that with shackles on his feet the commission members forced him out of the restaurant by his belt and into a vehicle, without being shown any identity or an opportunity to contact a lawyer.
“At one point, I even told other Westerners in the restaurant whether they could believe what was happening to me as I was in shackles, but none of them cared to even look me in the eye,” he added.
The man said he was separated from the Filipino nurse once they reached the commission’s center. “She sent me a text message from her phone saying she was being taken to Al-Malaz Prison and that she was freaking out. That was the last I heard from her,” he said.
He added that Valdez did not deserve such treatment, especially since she had been treating Saudis for over a decade.
“She is a person who has served your own Saudi mothers and fathers for over 12 years,” he said. “She doesn’t deserve this kind of treatment.”
In February, a businesswoman was detained and strip-searched by Saudi Arabia's religious police for sitting in a Starbucks coffee shop with an unrelated man.
The incident came just days after a UN report blasted the Muslim kingdom for widespread discrimination against women and as a UN expert on women's rights began a visit to the country.
Saudi Arabia's 5,000-strong religious police have recently been investigated over a number of deaths that occurred while they raided homes or kept people in custody. Raid Qusti, Arab News with INQUIRER.net, and Agence France-Presse
Posted date: May 01, 2008
RIYADH -- Saudi Arabia’s religious police have arrested a Filipina nurse for sitting in a restaurant with a male colleague, a Philippine diplomat said.
Abigail Valdez, a nurse who works at the Riyadh Military Hospital, is being held at Al-Malaz Prison on charges of “immorality,” Philippine Ambassador Antonio P. Villamor told Arab News.
Villamor said the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh was trying to gain access to Valdez, who was arrested by members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice on Monday evening for being with an unrelated man, a taboo in the ultra-conservative Islamic kingdom.
But Vice Consul Gerardo P. Abiog, who is in charge of the embassy’s Assistance to Nationals Section, said Filipino embassy officials who went to see Valdez were denied access by Saudi authorities.
“She would be released if the hospital (where she works) intervenes. She’s still in jail,” said Abiog, adding that prison authorities said they needed the approval of senior authorities.
“In the past, Riyadh Military Hospital has not intervened in such a case, saying the legal system should prevail,” he said. “I don’t think she has been allowed contact with anyone. Even we at the embassy are having difficulty trying to see and talk to her.”
The embassy official said that in such cases, it first investigates the incident and then tries talking to the person’s employer to get them bail out the individual. “However, we cannot force the employer if they do not want to act,” Abiog said.
Unrelated men and women caught dining at a Saudi restaurant would normally be sentenced to four months in jail and 100 lashes. The same punishment applies to a man and a woman caught in a state of seclusion (khulwa).
Women in Saudi Arabia, which applies a rigorous doctrine of Islam known as Wahhabism, face a host of constraints, including a ban on driving. They are forced to cover from head to toe in public, and cannot mix with men other than relatives or travel without written permission from their male guardian.
Valdez’s male colleague, who is of a Western nationality, was released several hours after being taken to a commission center and then to a police station. The man, who asked his name not be published, had his feet shackled when he resisted arrest.
“I am not going to play stupid here,” he told Arab News when asked about his knowledge of the Kingdom’s rules.
“Every country in the world allows access to a legal representative once arresting procedures take place. Here you can get arrested and thrown into jail without anyone knowing,” he said.
He added that with shackles on his feet the commission members forced him out of the restaurant by his belt and into a vehicle, without being shown any identity or an opportunity to contact a lawyer.
“At one point, I even told other Westerners in the restaurant whether they could believe what was happening to me as I was in shackles, but none of them cared to even look me in the eye,” he added.
The man said he was separated from the Filipino nurse once they reached the commission’s center. “She sent me a text message from her phone saying she was being taken to Al-Malaz Prison and that she was freaking out. That was the last I heard from her,” he said.
He added that Valdez did not deserve such treatment, especially since she had been treating Saudis for over a decade.
“She is a person who has served your own Saudi mothers and fathers for over 12 years,” he said. “She doesn’t deserve this kind of treatment.”
In February, a businesswoman was detained and strip-searched by Saudi Arabia's religious police for sitting in a Starbucks coffee shop with an unrelated man.
The incident came just days after a UN report blasted the Muslim kingdom for widespread discrimination against women and as a UN expert on women's rights began a visit to the country.
Saudi Arabia's 5,000-strong religious police have recently been investigated over a number of deaths that occurred while they raided homes or kept people in custody. Raid Qusti, Arab News with INQUIRER.net, and Agence France-Presse
Monday, May 25, 2009
Woman in prison over rape claim
Ramona Ruiz
Last Updated: May 24. 2009 8:20PM UAE / May 24. 2009 4:20PM GMT
ABU DHABI // A migrant rights group has repeated its call to the Philippine government to send legal attachés to the Middle East after a Filipina who complained of rape ended up in an Ajman prison on adultery charges.
John Leonard Monterona, the Middle East co-ordinator for Migrante, a Filipino migrant rights group, said the woman, identified as WC, was due in court for a second hearing today, but that the Philippine consulate in Dubai had so far failed to provide a lawyer for her.
“The absence of a legal counsel during her trial may lead to a conviction or her prolonged imprisonment,” Mr Monterona said.
The case was brought to the attention of Migrante by WC’s husband, still in the Philippines, who wrote to the group this month, worried that he had not heard from his wife since April 7.
WC, who had arrived in Dubai on March 27 to take up a position as a hotel chambermaid, had wanted to return home when she was made to work as a housemaid instead.
The husband was told by the recruitment agency on April 27 that his wife had made the allegation of rape, but had been “jailed for lying” after a medical examination proved negative for the alleged assault.
On the same day, the husband received a phone call from his wife, who told him that she had been raped.
Mr Monterona, however, said Migrante had no information yet about the identity of the man involved or the date when the alleged attack took place.
Officials from Ajman police confirmed the case and said they had already referred WC to the public prosecutor.
She remains in police custody. The officials, however, declined to provide further details since the case was now being dealt with by the criminal courts.
Ahmed Bajunaid, the head of the assistance to nationals section at the consulate in Dubai, said initial reports showed that the Filipina had admitted to allowing an Indian man to enter her room. He said the man was now in jail on trespassing charges.
Between 200 and 300 Filipinos are behind bars in Dubai and the northern Emirates, according to Mr Bajunaid. They include people convicted of theft, as well as drugs and immigration offences. Others have been jailed for bad debts.
Last month Migrante and the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants in Hong Kong asked Manila to supply legal attachés in the Middle East to ensure that Filipinos appearing in court were represented.
Repeating the call, Mr Monterona said that while his organisation welcomed a decision to deploy social welfare attachés in the Middle East next month, Manila should consider sending legal attachés first. About 500 Filipinos were behind bars in the Middle East, with at least 16 on death row.
“It makes a difference being accompanied by someone with legal knowledge and expertise on Sharia,” he said.
Nasser Munder, the Philippine labour attaché in Abu Dhabi, said 136 Filipinas, mostly housemaids, were being counselled at the Abu Dhabi shelter run by Filipino labour and welfare officers. They had fled their employers after complaining of mistreatment, overwork and not being paid.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Manila will send the first batch of social welfare attachés to Saudi Arabia and Jordan in June. It is not known when they will be posted to the UAE.
rruiz@thenational.ae
With additional reporting by Yasin Kakande
Last Updated: May 24. 2009 8:20PM UAE / May 24. 2009 4:20PM GMT
ABU DHABI // A migrant rights group has repeated its call to the Philippine government to send legal attachés to the Middle East after a Filipina who complained of rape ended up in an Ajman prison on adultery charges.
John Leonard Monterona, the Middle East co-ordinator for Migrante, a Filipino migrant rights group, said the woman, identified as WC, was due in court for a second hearing today, but that the Philippine consulate in Dubai had so far failed to provide a lawyer for her.
“The absence of a legal counsel during her trial may lead to a conviction or her prolonged imprisonment,” Mr Monterona said.
The case was brought to the attention of Migrante by WC’s husband, still in the Philippines, who wrote to the group this month, worried that he had not heard from his wife since April 7.
WC, who had arrived in Dubai on March 27 to take up a position as a hotel chambermaid, had wanted to return home when she was made to work as a housemaid instead.
The husband was told by the recruitment agency on April 27 that his wife had made the allegation of rape, but had been “jailed for lying” after a medical examination proved negative for the alleged assault.
On the same day, the husband received a phone call from his wife, who told him that she had been raped.
Mr Monterona, however, said Migrante had no information yet about the identity of the man involved or the date when the alleged attack took place.
Officials from Ajman police confirmed the case and said they had already referred WC to the public prosecutor.
She remains in police custody. The officials, however, declined to provide further details since the case was now being dealt with by the criminal courts.
Ahmed Bajunaid, the head of the assistance to nationals section at the consulate in Dubai, said initial reports showed that the Filipina had admitted to allowing an Indian man to enter her room. He said the man was now in jail on trespassing charges.
Between 200 and 300 Filipinos are behind bars in Dubai and the northern Emirates, according to Mr Bajunaid. They include people convicted of theft, as well as drugs and immigration offences. Others have been jailed for bad debts.
Last month Migrante and the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants in Hong Kong asked Manila to supply legal attachés in the Middle East to ensure that Filipinos appearing in court were represented.
Repeating the call, Mr Monterona said that while his organisation welcomed a decision to deploy social welfare attachés in the Middle East next month, Manila should consider sending legal attachés first. About 500 Filipinos were behind bars in the Middle East, with at least 16 on death row.
“It makes a difference being accompanied by someone with legal knowledge and expertise on Sharia,” he said.
Nasser Munder, the Philippine labour attaché in Abu Dhabi, said 136 Filipinas, mostly housemaids, were being counselled at the Abu Dhabi shelter run by Filipino labour and welfare officers. They had fled their employers after complaining of mistreatment, overwork and not being paid.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Manila will send the first batch of social welfare attachés to Saudi Arabia and Jordan in June. It is not known when they will be posted to the UAE.
rruiz@thenational.ae
With additional reporting by Yasin Kakande
Dan McDougall reports on the abuses inflicted on many domestic workers abroad
Dan McDougall
The Observer, Sunday 24 May 2009
"When I hear of girls working in London who swallow acid, I know it could have been me"
Every year, millions of women leave their own families in Africa and Asia to look after other people's in the west. But many domestic workers find themselves abused, beaten, raped, even murdered. Foreign Reporter of the Year Dan McDougall travels from Manila through the Middle East to London to hear their stories
Out on the estuary, fishermen and day traders motor battered aluminium canoes through waves of steaming rubbish. Beyond are the skyscrapers of downtown Manila and the chaos of the streets - the calls of hawkers and warbling Pinoy radio music mingling with the snarling engines of Jeepney taxis stalled in traffic and the shrill whistles of traffic police, trying to rein in the uncontrollable energy of one of the world's most frenetic cities.
We are perched on the stilted home of Maritess Ruga, which looks out over the vastness of the Tondo slum - a floating city of rusted roofs. As the teenager is gutting a rotting pile of tilapia, blood runs down her wrists and elbows. Inside the two-room hovel, her three younger siblings and an elderly aunt are gathered around the small television set, silently engrossed in one of Manila's favourite soap opera's, Dahil sa Iyong Paglisan (Because You Left), a ham-fisted tele-novella based on the hardships endured by the Philippines' eight million or so foreign workers. On the wall above the crackling TV is an oversized photograph of the children's mother. Shrine-like, the photocopied image is surrounded by rosary beads, candles and plastic flowers. "She works as a maid in Dubai, like all our mothers," says Maritess. At 15 she has had to take on the role of family matriarch. Her father is sleeping, as usual, on the mat he shares on the narrow balcony with two stray dogs.
Like most of the slum's eldest daughters, Maritess has been up since dawn preparing the home and will go to bed only after her day's chores are finished. It's been this way since she was nine. In Tondo, a local schoolteacher told me a few days later, the schools don't have parents' nights - the children are brought up by their older siblings. In most families, one or both parents are working abroad. "This is the Philippines in 2009," the teacher tells me. "Slum girls like Maritess face two tough choices for their future: to provide for their family they can go into prostitution, or they can go abroad, like their mothers."
Today, the slum mothers of Manila Metro are permanently elsewhere, maids and nannies to the world, with about one in seven Filipino workers abroad at any given time. It's a worldwide phenomenon. About 300m economic migrants from India, sub-Saharan Africa, South and Central America and southeast Asia are scattered across the globe, supporting a population back home that is closer to a billion. Were these international foreign workers to constitute a state, a migration nation if you like, it would rank as the world's third largest. They are an economic powerhouse. Migrants from the developing world sent home an estimated $300bn last year.
Consider the figure. It's nearly three times the world's foreign-aid budgets combined. These sums, or "remittances" as they are known, bring Morocco more money than tourism, Sri Lanka more money than tea and, in the Philippines, this foreign legion of workers is so essential to the government that the economy would collapse without them. More than half the world's migrants are women, many caring for children abroad while leaving their own at home.
More than any other country, though, the Philippines has become synonymous with migrant labour. In Greece, for example, the modern Greek word for a maid is a "Filipineza". The most recent figures show that there are 1.2m Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) registered in Saudi Arabia, closely followed by Japan, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates and Taiwan. And with workers in at least 170 other countries, OFWs are everywhere, including the high seas. About a quarter of the world's seafarers come from the Philippines. But behind the hard-earned dollars sent home, there are many tales of abject exploitation and sorrow, sexual abuse, violence and even murder.
A tattered billboard welcomes drivers on the dusty highway that winds its way towards the down-at-heel town of Alaminos, 170km north of Manila: "May God Praise Our Seafarers and Overseas Foreign Workers". Underneath the sign is the sponsor of the tribute, the town's largest shopping mall, which has sprung up largely on the back of OFW remittances. Just short of her 22nd birthday, Jennifer Perez would have passed the same sign as she left her village home in the northern Luzon province of the Philippines in the summer of 2006.
Like most migrant domestic workers heading for the Middle East, she packed a roll-on bag, stuffed with loose clothing, befitting Jordan, the Muslim country that would become her new home. Fatefully, she also packed her aunt's mobile phone to allow her to text her parents. Clutched in her left hand was the rosary her mother had given her before departure. She was proud of the carefully laminated documents in her luggage: certificates for 12 hours of on-the-job-training in elderly care, first aid, CPR and hospitality services, and the driver's licence she would never get to use.
A college graduate with a degree in physical education and dance, Jennifer had signed up to work for two years in the Jordanian city of Irbid, a dusty, nondescript settlement an hour north of Amman. A few days later, barely 24 hours after arriving in Jordan, Jennifer fell asleep in her small room in her employers' house. She was woken by her female employer (a dentist whose husband was a member of the prominent Obeidat tribe), who stormed into the room with the mobile phone that had been hidden in Jennifer's luggage, and threatened to confiscate it. Like most foreign domestics, Jennifer was banned from having contact with the outside world.
A fight broke out between the two women and, moments later, Jennifer fell four storeys from the kitchen veranda, landing squarely on her back. As the young woman lay in a coma in a Jordanian hospital, her employer claimed it was a suicide attempt. Jennifer's family say their daughter, like hundreds of Filipina workers in the Middle East over the past two decades, was simply thrown off the balcony. The woman was arrested and charged with assault as Jennifer, by now a quadriplegic, fought a losing battle to stay alive. Her employer was released after posting an undisclosed bail.
Speaking two years later from Alaminos, Jennifer's father, Herminiio, himself a former OFW in Saudi Arabia, claims his daughter's death - and those of hundreds of domestic workers abroad - is a tragedy of globalisation.
"It is easier for these girls to go abroad than ever, with agents now paying their airfares and then taking half their salaries," Herminiio says. "My daughter was a slave. She was treated like an animal, a nothing. Every day we read in the newspapers about families who have gone through similar hell: young girls raped, abused, beaten, murdered. A transaction seems to take place when a Filipina domestic helper goes abroad. When she steps over the threshold of her employers' home she gives up her human rights and her freedom. My message to these girls is the money is not important. Poverty is terrible, but it allows its own freedoms from violence and abuse."
What made his daughter's story harder to take was the fact that it took so long for her to die - nine months in total. "We had to fight to get her home," says Herminiio. "We were crippled with medical expenses and had to hold a television appeal to raise funds for her flight. She came home a quadriplegic and died of a broken heart, despite being surrounded by the people she loves and who loved her. Every time a domestic helper returns to the Philippines dead, why is she always ruled to have killed herself? Why are so many of our girls killing themselves, jumping out of windows, off roofs and balconies; are they all insane?"
Migrants have been leaving the Philippines in search of work for decades. The key difference now, however, is where they migrate to. Mired in red tape and post-9/11 paranoia, the US is no longer an attainable promised land. That role has been taken on by the Middle East. The big Arab oil states have small populations but, until recently, grand development ambitions. Only through foreign labour can their lofty aims be achieved, which is why more than 14m migrants, many of them Filipino, are active in the Arabian peninsula alone.
The winter rain is whipping off the Mediterranean sea and pounding the stained glass windows of the 17th-century crypt in the heart of Old Beirut. Inside, the narrow pews are packed with browbeaten women: a league of nations in their Sunday best - maids from India, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia and the Philippines. Below, in the catacombs, there is only silence. There, the women who have chosen not to be part of the morning congregation sit and contemplate their lives. In the darkness of the church, they seek sanctuary from their lives as slaves. In the past two years alone, more than 100 maids have died in Beirut in sinister circumstances, victims of abuse by cruel masters and mistresses. Countless more have been beaten, raped and even tortured. The walls of the basement are plastered with "Missing" posters of maids who have fled abusive owners, their whereabouts now unknown.
One unnamed Ethiopian maid, in a government hospital after "falling" from a 12th-floor balcony, says her Lebanese employer pushed her off. The police, as is normally the case, dispute her claim and are hoping to deport her as soon as possible. The 25-year-old's testimony, which has been made public, is chilling: "Madam asked me to hang the clothes. Then she came and pushed me from behind." Too frightened to let her name be published, she said her employer had frequently threatened and abused her. "Madam would tell me, 'I will spill hot oil on you.' She would take a knife and threaten to kill me. She would beat me with shoes, pull my hair to the floor."
Her testimony, along with thousands of others', has been gathered by Human Rights Watch (HRW). The group claims that, every week, one of an estimated 200,000 migrant domestic workers in Lebanon dies. Normally it is recorded as "suicide" or falling while trying to escape their employer. Another major cause of death is untreated illness - hospitals cost money and maids aren't seen as worth the expense. HRW claims that maids in Lebanon, as elsewhere in the Middle East, are increasingly vulnerable to beatings, rape and murder - and there are no laws to protect them from abusive employers.
Indrani Ekanayaka is a 27-year-old Sri Lankan who has lived for the past year in the basement of a Beirut shelter run by the Christian charity group Caritas, after fleeing an abusive employer. She says there are thousands of women like her still suffering in silence. "I was paid for the first year and a half, but then I wasn't paid for the next eight years. When I asked for money, Madam would swear at me and break glasses against the wall. I was only given some bread and rice to eat. Fruit was forbidden. I was not allowed to speak to my parents. They thought I had died," she says, the tears welling up. "I managed to escape. I got a copy of the key they used to lock my door at night and I crept out. I'm certain if they'd caught me they'd have killed me. I filed a police report, but they only told me I would be deported. Now, they have a new maid, a Filipina. They are abusing someone else. I came to Beirut from Lebanon because I had the chance to help build a home for my parents and sisters, but my life is a nightmare."
Indrani, who has four sisters at home and a family torn apart by the country's civil war, believes she has let her family down. "My family expected great things of me, that I would have enough money for a house and a good life, but all I have had is torture and misery and I am left with nothing to show for it. I am penniless. I think I will go back next year and then I will probably have no option but to try another country. I know there is no work for me at home and that's why there are so many young Sri Lankan women all over the world, suffering like me, to send money home."
The majority of abused domestic workers in Beirut, however, are Filipina. One is Mila, 27. "I left Manila for Beirut at 22," she says, "because it was an easy choice to make. Stay and watch my family starve or leave and help to feed and clothe them. My parents were getting elderly and it was me and my sister's jobs to make sure they were secure. I approached an agent in Manila who told me a job in Beirut as a domestic maid, a cleaner, a cook and a babysitter rolled into one would make 10 times as much as I could make in Manila. I accepted on the spot and my parents spent their last few pesos for admission to the airport lounge from where I left. And then I suppose they went home to cry and wait for the money. I wasn't paid for a year and my sister was also struggling abroad, so they had to rely on loan sharks."
When Mila arrived in Beirut she was imprisoned in the basement of a home with only iron bars for a window. "It was damp and it felt like a torture chamber. At times my madam, who told me she was my 'owner', made me do everything. I had to cut her toenails, scrub her feet, wash her clothes, cook and clean. I had to look after her nephews, light her cigarettes. My life was a living hell. Her partner would try and molest me and threatened to tell the mistress I was a prostitute if I didn't comply. I only managed to escape in the end because I got a letter out to a lawyer who turned up at the door and then the mistress simply threw me out on the street. I'm still fighting to get my salary from her. She owes me a year and a half's wages, about $5,000."
Nigerian Agnus Iyo Emeka, 27, is another maid at the Beirut refuge. She came to Lebanon to be a domestic worker, suffered beatings and torture at the hands of her employer and was sexually assaulted by her employer's husband. "Many women who come to the centre talk about how they are treated as sex objects by the Arab men," she says. "It starts off with simple groping, but in most cases ends up in full rape. I was assaulted by my owner's husband. I also had a friend who was raped; she lived in the same apartment block and the man of the house raped her every day for months, until she jumped from a third-floor window and broke her pelvis. So many young women have died in Beirut. I have personally known two who have died - I knew them from church. Praying one day and dead the next."
Another victim of abuse in the Beirut refuge is Ayalnesh Alameraw, a 26-year-old from Ethiopia. "I came from Addis Ababa five years ago. An agent approached my parents and offered to take three of their daughters to 'Europe', but they only took me. My sisters were spared. I thought I was going to London. I had never heard of Beirut until I boarded the plane." Ayalnesh was taken to the agency offices and given her uniform, a pink domestic outfit, but no training. "My first madam was the cruellest woman I have ever met," she says. "I was beaten for staining clothes and fined six months' wages for 'damage'. I was beaten with shoes, belts and even a thin iron bar. I tried to escape five times and each time I was taken back to her by the police. They always caught me and ordered me to return or I would be put in prison. They never listened to any of my stories. They didn't waste a single drop of ink on me until I jumped from a fourth-floor window. Looking over a balcony and being so desperate to escape that you will risk your life is impossible to explain to someone who has never been imprisoned. You may think being imprisoned in a tiny apartment isn't really a prison, but in a city where you have no voice and no rights and nobody hears your screams or cries for help you are in a hell."
When Ayalnesh recovered from her fall she was sent to a detention centre to await deportation. "My madam filed a complaint with the agency and accused me of stealing. I was inside the centre during the 2006 bombing campaign by the Israelis and we thought we would be buried alive in the rubble." The sick went untreated, and almost everyone, eventually, in the stifling summer heat, became ill. "As the war continued we became a hindrance and six of us were taken to Caritas, who still look after me now. I can't go back to Addis. I have a family of seven brothers and sisters and my parents are simple cattle raisers. I have more chance of being a success abroad." Ayalnesh, like many foreign workers, believes her best chance of being treated fairly is now in London, a growing market for domestic workers.
A ragged flock of starlings flies across the roof of the Kalayaan drop-in centre in Holland Park, west London. It's a hard building to find. The narrow entrance blends into the concrete facade rendering it almost as invisible as the women the unit was created for. Only thin writing scratched on the buzzer identifies your location. In the adjacent courtyard, wealthy Londoners sit in the garden of a wine bar. Laughter fills the air. Above them, in a cramped office, domestic workers sit crouched over plates of noodles speaking to each other frantically in broken English.
"The foreign girl next door to you in London never rests," says Gita, a maid from northern India. "She works day and night and is never allowed to leave the apartment. She sleeps in the kitchen with the dog. She does the dirty work. She wipes the bottoms of the young and the old, she gives baths, she washes clothes. She barely eats. That is my story, this is my life even now." And according to Gita, this is the story all over London. "It is happening next door to many of you," she says, "but you just don't realise it. The girl escapes, but her owner finds her in the street and takes her back. I was held prisoner for two years and I wasn't paid a penny for my last year's work. This is the dream your country has to offer."
Around Gita, the other women softly clap their hands in timid solidarity. Few have the confidence to raise their own voices. Britain, and London in particular, is one of the fastest growing markets in the world for recruiting foreign domestic workers. Many of these workers are migrants, serving "cash-rich, time-poor" British families as cleaners, nannies and cooks. Behind closed doors many are exploited and abused. Kalayaan, a campaigning group for migrant domestics, recently conducted a survey which showed that 86% of migrant maids work more than 16 hours a day, 71% have been deprived of food, 32% have had their passports withheld by their employers and 23% have been physically abused. Many of the women who visit the Kalayaan shelter sleep in hallways or in converted cupboards in small London apartments.
Gita, who now works for a new family, also claims, like many of the domestic staff, to have been sexually abused. "I worked for an Indian family in Hampstead. There were bars on the basement window where I slept. At first I only had a duvet cover to sleep on and then later a mattress on the floor. I was up at 5am to prepare roti for the madam and I worked until midnight each night. Sometimes I wasn't given any food and was pushed around by their eldest daughter. Although I shopped for the children's food, the wife never asked me to eat with them. I felt she would notice if I ate their food, so I borrowed money from a neighbour's maid to buy noodles and ate when I could."
The family told Gita they were sending her money home, but they never did. "The husband would come home and make advances on me. After a few months he started raping me. This went on for five months. Many of the maids in the UK are sexually abused, but are too frightened to report it for fear of deportation. Eventually I broke down in tears in front of his wife, but she didn't believe me, and later she was so furious she came at me with a hot iron. I realised she was going to burn my face. I put my arm up when she charged at me and she burnt that instead. Later that night she threw me on the street at 3am and I turned to Kalayaan." Proving what happened to Gita is impossible, she says.The family left Britain earlier this year.
Another London-based worker, Divia, reveals how she was forced to sleep on the stone floor of her madam's kitchen in the West End. She was fed so little her eyesight started to fail and she began to show symptoms of severe malnutrition. Her diet was entirely based on leftovers from the family table. "I was so thin I would faint with hunger. But I have heard stories worse than mine in Kalayaan. When I hear of young girls who work for Arabs in London swallowing acid it makes me depressed. I know that could have been me.
"Sometimes I feel thankful that I had the strength not to try and take me own life. The women I met here are so filled with sadness, they are constantly on the verge of tears at the abuse they receive behind closed doors, but they have no voice and are too terrified of the authorities to trust them. They have seen other women deported for causing a fuss."
According to Kalayaan, stories like Divia's are not uncommon. In the past few weeks a domestic worker in Knightsbridge, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, attempted suicide after years of abuse by her employer. The woman, a Filipina, swallowed acid and is now permanently disabled. Scotland Yard is investigating the case.
Kalayaan spokeswoman Jenny Moss believes the situation is not improving. "There is a saying here which is used by the Filipina workers: 'Kung walang hirap, walang ginhawa', which means 'Without suffering, there can be no ease,'" she says. "Many of these women enter their working relationships here in Britain quite simply expecting to be treated badly. At Kalayaan we register about 350 new domestic workers each year, the majority of whom have been exploited or abused in the UK. Domestic workers are dependent on one employer for their work, their immigration status and their accommodation, and this makes them extremely vulnerable. They often feel they have little choice but to accept their working conditions - no matter how abusive."
It is late in downtown Manila. A young prostitute, no older than 14, stands in a yellow mini-skirt in front of a paunchy Welshman who has, fingers clicking, called her out from a group of around 30 skinny girls. As he heaves himself off a tiny bar stool he flicks up her skirt at the front to inspect her and with a wave of his hand sends her back to the goldfish bowl they stand in. Outside on Burgos Street, one of the most notorious red-light strips in Asia, the dark skies finally open up, breaking the intolerable humidity. Within moments the hot rain runs down the heavily made-up faces of the lowly street girls, the youngest of all the prostitutes, pathetic and ghoulish in their thin clothes and tottering high heels. Sheltering under the awning of a snack bar, Cristiana puts her hands out for a cigarette and shivers.
"The rain is bad for business," says the 15-year-old. As she speaks, she absentmindedly scrawls her number in the menu of the café she is taking shelter in. The menu she is holding is scribbled over with messages: "Hi! Hello! My name is Maria." "I'm Tina. Call for your heart's desire." Inside the café western men bounce tiny Filipina girls on their thighs like babies, the youngsters' infantile appearances exaggerated by their white ankle socks. The younger they look the more money they will make.
"I want to go to Europe, to work abroad as a massage therapist or a nurse. I would be happier there," says Cristiana. "I am working here to pay my way through my entrance exams to become a nurse. That is the dream we all share. To leave these islands for a better life."
About this article
This article was first published on guardian.co.uk at 00.01 BST on Sunday 24 May 2009. It appeared in the Observer on Sunday 24 May 2009 on p20 of the Comment & features section. It was last updated at 00.05 BST on Sunday 24 May 2009.
The Observer, Sunday 24 May 2009
"When I hear of girls working in London who swallow acid, I know it could have been me"
Every year, millions of women leave their own families in Africa and Asia to look after other people's in the west. But many domestic workers find themselves abused, beaten, raped, even murdered. Foreign Reporter of the Year Dan McDougall travels from Manila through the Middle East to London to hear their stories
Out on the estuary, fishermen and day traders motor battered aluminium canoes through waves of steaming rubbish. Beyond are the skyscrapers of downtown Manila and the chaos of the streets - the calls of hawkers and warbling Pinoy radio music mingling with the snarling engines of Jeepney taxis stalled in traffic and the shrill whistles of traffic police, trying to rein in the uncontrollable energy of one of the world's most frenetic cities.
We are perched on the stilted home of Maritess Ruga, which looks out over the vastness of the Tondo slum - a floating city of rusted roofs. As the teenager is gutting a rotting pile of tilapia, blood runs down her wrists and elbows. Inside the two-room hovel, her three younger siblings and an elderly aunt are gathered around the small television set, silently engrossed in one of Manila's favourite soap opera's, Dahil sa Iyong Paglisan (Because You Left), a ham-fisted tele-novella based on the hardships endured by the Philippines' eight million or so foreign workers. On the wall above the crackling TV is an oversized photograph of the children's mother. Shrine-like, the photocopied image is surrounded by rosary beads, candles and plastic flowers. "She works as a maid in Dubai, like all our mothers," says Maritess. At 15 she has had to take on the role of family matriarch. Her father is sleeping, as usual, on the mat he shares on the narrow balcony with two stray dogs.
Like most of the slum's eldest daughters, Maritess has been up since dawn preparing the home and will go to bed only after her day's chores are finished. It's been this way since she was nine. In Tondo, a local schoolteacher told me a few days later, the schools don't have parents' nights - the children are brought up by their older siblings. In most families, one or both parents are working abroad. "This is the Philippines in 2009," the teacher tells me. "Slum girls like Maritess face two tough choices for their future: to provide for their family they can go into prostitution, or they can go abroad, like their mothers."
Today, the slum mothers of Manila Metro are permanently elsewhere, maids and nannies to the world, with about one in seven Filipino workers abroad at any given time. It's a worldwide phenomenon. About 300m economic migrants from India, sub-Saharan Africa, South and Central America and southeast Asia are scattered across the globe, supporting a population back home that is closer to a billion. Were these international foreign workers to constitute a state, a migration nation if you like, it would rank as the world's third largest. They are an economic powerhouse. Migrants from the developing world sent home an estimated $300bn last year.
Consider the figure. It's nearly three times the world's foreign-aid budgets combined. These sums, or "remittances" as they are known, bring Morocco more money than tourism, Sri Lanka more money than tea and, in the Philippines, this foreign legion of workers is so essential to the government that the economy would collapse without them. More than half the world's migrants are women, many caring for children abroad while leaving their own at home.
More than any other country, though, the Philippines has become synonymous with migrant labour. In Greece, for example, the modern Greek word for a maid is a "Filipineza". The most recent figures show that there are 1.2m Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) registered in Saudi Arabia, closely followed by Japan, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates and Taiwan. And with workers in at least 170 other countries, OFWs are everywhere, including the high seas. About a quarter of the world's seafarers come from the Philippines. But behind the hard-earned dollars sent home, there are many tales of abject exploitation and sorrow, sexual abuse, violence and even murder.
A tattered billboard welcomes drivers on the dusty highway that winds its way towards the down-at-heel town of Alaminos, 170km north of Manila: "May God Praise Our Seafarers and Overseas Foreign Workers". Underneath the sign is the sponsor of the tribute, the town's largest shopping mall, which has sprung up largely on the back of OFW remittances. Just short of her 22nd birthday, Jennifer Perez would have passed the same sign as she left her village home in the northern Luzon province of the Philippines in the summer of 2006.
Like most migrant domestic workers heading for the Middle East, she packed a roll-on bag, stuffed with loose clothing, befitting Jordan, the Muslim country that would become her new home. Fatefully, she also packed her aunt's mobile phone to allow her to text her parents. Clutched in her left hand was the rosary her mother had given her before departure. She was proud of the carefully laminated documents in her luggage: certificates for 12 hours of on-the-job-training in elderly care, first aid, CPR and hospitality services, and the driver's licence she would never get to use.
A college graduate with a degree in physical education and dance, Jennifer had signed up to work for two years in the Jordanian city of Irbid, a dusty, nondescript settlement an hour north of Amman. A few days later, barely 24 hours after arriving in Jordan, Jennifer fell asleep in her small room in her employers' house. She was woken by her female employer (a dentist whose husband was a member of the prominent Obeidat tribe), who stormed into the room with the mobile phone that had been hidden in Jennifer's luggage, and threatened to confiscate it. Like most foreign domestics, Jennifer was banned from having contact with the outside world.
A fight broke out between the two women and, moments later, Jennifer fell four storeys from the kitchen veranda, landing squarely on her back. As the young woman lay in a coma in a Jordanian hospital, her employer claimed it was a suicide attempt. Jennifer's family say their daughter, like hundreds of Filipina workers in the Middle East over the past two decades, was simply thrown off the balcony. The woman was arrested and charged with assault as Jennifer, by now a quadriplegic, fought a losing battle to stay alive. Her employer was released after posting an undisclosed bail.
Speaking two years later from Alaminos, Jennifer's father, Herminiio, himself a former OFW in Saudi Arabia, claims his daughter's death - and those of hundreds of domestic workers abroad - is a tragedy of globalisation.
"It is easier for these girls to go abroad than ever, with agents now paying their airfares and then taking half their salaries," Herminiio says. "My daughter was a slave. She was treated like an animal, a nothing. Every day we read in the newspapers about families who have gone through similar hell: young girls raped, abused, beaten, murdered. A transaction seems to take place when a Filipina domestic helper goes abroad. When she steps over the threshold of her employers' home she gives up her human rights and her freedom. My message to these girls is the money is not important. Poverty is terrible, but it allows its own freedoms from violence and abuse."
What made his daughter's story harder to take was the fact that it took so long for her to die - nine months in total. "We had to fight to get her home," says Herminiio. "We were crippled with medical expenses and had to hold a television appeal to raise funds for her flight. She came home a quadriplegic and died of a broken heart, despite being surrounded by the people she loves and who loved her. Every time a domestic helper returns to the Philippines dead, why is she always ruled to have killed herself? Why are so many of our girls killing themselves, jumping out of windows, off roofs and balconies; are they all insane?"
Migrants have been leaving the Philippines in search of work for decades. The key difference now, however, is where they migrate to. Mired in red tape and post-9/11 paranoia, the US is no longer an attainable promised land. That role has been taken on by the Middle East. The big Arab oil states have small populations but, until recently, grand development ambitions. Only through foreign labour can their lofty aims be achieved, which is why more than 14m migrants, many of them Filipino, are active in the Arabian peninsula alone.
The winter rain is whipping off the Mediterranean sea and pounding the stained glass windows of the 17th-century crypt in the heart of Old Beirut. Inside, the narrow pews are packed with browbeaten women: a league of nations in their Sunday best - maids from India, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia and the Philippines. Below, in the catacombs, there is only silence. There, the women who have chosen not to be part of the morning congregation sit and contemplate their lives. In the darkness of the church, they seek sanctuary from their lives as slaves. In the past two years alone, more than 100 maids have died in Beirut in sinister circumstances, victims of abuse by cruel masters and mistresses. Countless more have been beaten, raped and even tortured. The walls of the basement are plastered with "Missing" posters of maids who have fled abusive owners, their whereabouts now unknown.
One unnamed Ethiopian maid, in a government hospital after "falling" from a 12th-floor balcony, says her Lebanese employer pushed her off. The police, as is normally the case, dispute her claim and are hoping to deport her as soon as possible. The 25-year-old's testimony, which has been made public, is chilling: "Madam asked me to hang the clothes. Then she came and pushed me from behind." Too frightened to let her name be published, she said her employer had frequently threatened and abused her. "Madam would tell me, 'I will spill hot oil on you.' She would take a knife and threaten to kill me. She would beat me with shoes, pull my hair to the floor."
Her testimony, along with thousands of others', has been gathered by Human Rights Watch (HRW). The group claims that, every week, one of an estimated 200,000 migrant domestic workers in Lebanon dies. Normally it is recorded as "suicide" or falling while trying to escape their employer. Another major cause of death is untreated illness - hospitals cost money and maids aren't seen as worth the expense. HRW claims that maids in Lebanon, as elsewhere in the Middle East, are increasingly vulnerable to beatings, rape and murder - and there are no laws to protect them from abusive employers.
Indrani Ekanayaka is a 27-year-old Sri Lankan who has lived for the past year in the basement of a Beirut shelter run by the Christian charity group Caritas, after fleeing an abusive employer. She says there are thousands of women like her still suffering in silence. "I was paid for the first year and a half, but then I wasn't paid for the next eight years. When I asked for money, Madam would swear at me and break glasses against the wall. I was only given some bread and rice to eat. Fruit was forbidden. I was not allowed to speak to my parents. They thought I had died," she says, the tears welling up. "I managed to escape. I got a copy of the key they used to lock my door at night and I crept out. I'm certain if they'd caught me they'd have killed me. I filed a police report, but they only told me I would be deported. Now, they have a new maid, a Filipina. They are abusing someone else. I came to Beirut from Lebanon because I had the chance to help build a home for my parents and sisters, but my life is a nightmare."
Indrani, who has four sisters at home and a family torn apart by the country's civil war, believes she has let her family down. "My family expected great things of me, that I would have enough money for a house and a good life, but all I have had is torture and misery and I am left with nothing to show for it. I am penniless. I think I will go back next year and then I will probably have no option but to try another country. I know there is no work for me at home and that's why there are so many young Sri Lankan women all over the world, suffering like me, to send money home."
The majority of abused domestic workers in Beirut, however, are Filipina. One is Mila, 27. "I left Manila for Beirut at 22," she says, "because it was an easy choice to make. Stay and watch my family starve or leave and help to feed and clothe them. My parents were getting elderly and it was me and my sister's jobs to make sure they were secure. I approached an agent in Manila who told me a job in Beirut as a domestic maid, a cleaner, a cook and a babysitter rolled into one would make 10 times as much as I could make in Manila. I accepted on the spot and my parents spent their last few pesos for admission to the airport lounge from where I left. And then I suppose they went home to cry and wait for the money. I wasn't paid for a year and my sister was also struggling abroad, so they had to rely on loan sharks."
When Mila arrived in Beirut she was imprisoned in the basement of a home with only iron bars for a window. "It was damp and it felt like a torture chamber. At times my madam, who told me she was my 'owner', made me do everything. I had to cut her toenails, scrub her feet, wash her clothes, cook and clean. I had to look after her nephews, light her cigarettes. My life was a living hell. Her partner would try and molest me and threatened to tell the mistress I was a prostitute if I didn't comply. I only managed to escape in the end because I got a letter out to a lawyer who turned up at the door and then the mistress simply threw me out on the street. I'm still fighting to get my salary from her. She owes me a year and a half's wages, about $5,000."
Nigerian Agnus Iyo Emeka, 27, is another maid at the Beirut refuge. She came to Lebanon to be a domestic worker, suffered beatings and torture at the hands of her employer and was sexually assaulted by her employer's husband. "Many women who come to the centre talk about how they are treated as sex objects by the Arab men," she says. "It starts off with simple groping, but in most cases ends up in full rape. I was assaulted by my owner's husband. I also had a friend who was raped; she lived in the same apartment block and the man of the house raped her every day for months, until she jumped from a third-floor window and broke her pelvis. So many young women have died in Beirut. I have personally known two who have died - I knew them from church. Praying one day and dead the next."
Another victim of abuse in the Beirut refuge is Ayalnesh Alameraw, a 26-year-old from Ethiopia. "I came from Addis Ababa five years ago. An agent approached my parents and offered to take three of their daughters to 'Europe', but they only took me. My sisters were spared. I thought I was going to London. I had never heard of Beirut until I boarded the plane." Ayalnesh was taken to the agency offices and given her uniform, a pink domestic outfit, but no training. "My first madam was the cruellest woman I have ever met," she says. "I was beaten for staining clothes and fined six months' wages for 'damage'. I was beaten with shoes, belts and even a thin iron bar. I tried to escape five times and each time I was taken back to her by the police. They always caught me and ordered me to return or I would be put in prison. They never listened to any of my stories. They didn't waste a single drop of ink on me until I jumped from a fourth-floor window. Looking over a balcony and being so desperate to escape that you will risk your life is impossible to explain to someone who has never been imprisoned. You may think being imprisoned in a tiny apartment isn't really a prison, but in a city where you have no voice and no rights and nobody hears your screams or cries for help you are in a hell."
When Ayalnesh recovered from her fall she was sent to a detention centre to await deportation. "My madam filed a complaint with the agency and accused me of stealing. I was inside the centre during the 2006 bombing campaign by the Israelis and we thought we would be buried alive in the rubble." The sick went untreated, and almost everyone, eventually, in the stifling summer heat, became ill. "As the war continued we became a hindrance and six of us were taken to Caritas, who still look after me now. I can't go back to Addis. I have a family of seven brothers and sisters and my parents are simple cattle raisers. I have more chance of being a success abroad." Ayalnesh, like many foreign workers, believes her best chance of being treated fairly is now in London, a growing market for domestic workers.
A ragged flock of starlings flies across the roof of the Kalayaan drop-in centre in Holland Park, west London. It's a hard building to find. The narrow entrance blends into the concrete facade rendering it almost as invisible as the women the unit was created for. Only thin writing scratched on the buzzer identifies your location. In the adjacent courtyard, wealthy Londoners sit in the garden of a wine bar. Laughter fills the air. Above them, in a cramped office, domestic workers sit crouched over plates of noodles speaking to each other frantically in broken English.
"The foreign girl next door to you in London never rests," says Gita, a maid from northern India. "She works day and night and is never allowed to leave the apartment. She sleeps in the kitchen with the dog. She does the dirty work. She wipes the bottoms of the young and the old, she gives baths, she washes clothes. She barely eats. That is my story, this is my life even now." And according to Gita, this is the story all over London. "It is happening next door to many of you," she says, "but you just don't realise it. The girl escapes, but her owner finds her in the street and takes her back. I was held prisoner for two years and I wasn't paid a penny for my last year's work. This is the dream your country has to offer."
Around Gita, the other women softly clap their hands in timid solidarity. Few have the confidence to raise their own voices. Britain, and London in particular, is one of the fastest growing markets in the world for recruiting foreign domestic workers. Many of these workers are migrants, serving "cash-rich, time-poor" British families as cleaners, nannies and cooks. Behind closed doors many are exploited and abused. Kalayaan, a campaigning group for migrant domestics, recently conducted a survey which showed that 86% of migrant maids work more than 16 hours a day, 71% have been deprived of food, 32% have had their passports withheld by their employers and 23% have been physically abused. Many of the women who visit the Kalayaan shelter sleep in hallways or in converted cupboards in small London apartments.
Gita, who now works for a new family, also claims, like many of the domestic staff, to have been sexually abused. "I worked for an Indian family in Hampstead. There were bars on the basement window where I slept. At first I only had a duvet cover to sleep on and then later a mattress on the floor. I was up at 5am to prepare roti for the madam and I worked until midnight each night. Sometimes I wasn't given any food and was pushed around by their eldest daughter. Although I shopped for the children's food, the wife never asked me to eat with them. I felt she would notice if I ate their food, so I borrowed money from a neighbour's maid to buy noodles and ate when I could."
The family told Gita they were sending her money home, but they never did. "The husband would come home and make advances on me. After a few months he started raping me. This went on for five months. Many of the maids in the UK are sexually abused, but are too frightened to report it for fear of deportation. Eventually I broke down in tears in front of his wife, but she didn't believe me, and later she was so furious she came at me with a hot iron. I realised she was going to burn my face. I put my arm up when she charged at me and she burnt that instead. Later that night she threw me on the street at 3am and I turned to Kalayaan." Proving what happened to Gita is impossible, she says.The family left Britain earlier this year.
Another London-based worker, Divia, reveals how she was forced to sleep on the stone floor of her madam's kitchen in the West End. She was fed so little her eyesight started to fail and she began to show symptoms of severe malnutrition. Her diet was entirely based on leftovers from the family table. "I was so thin I would faint with hunger. But I have heard stories worse than mine in Kalayaan. When I hear of young girls who work for Arabs in London swallowing acid it makes me depressed. I know that could have been me.
"Sometimes I feel thankful that I had the strength not to try and take me own life. The women I met here are so filled with sadness, they are constantly on the verge of tears at the abuse they receive behind closed doors, but they have no voice and are too terrified of the authorities to trust them. They have seen other women deported for causing a fuss."
According to Kalayaan, stories like Divia's are not uncommon. In the past few weeks a domestic worker in Knightsbridge, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, attempted suicide after years of abuse by her employer. The woman, a Filipina, swallowed acid and is now permanently disabled. Scotland Yard is investigating the case.
Kalayaan spokeswoman Jenny Moss believes the situation is not improving. "There is a saying here which is used by the Filipina workers: 'Kung walang hirap, walang ginhawa', which means 'Without suffering, there can be no ease,'" she says. "Many of these women enter their working relationships here in Britain quite simply expecting to be treated badly. At Kalayaan we register about 350 new domestic workers each year, the majority of whom have been exploited or abused in the UK. Domestic workers are dependent on one employer for their work, their immigration status and their accommodation, and this makes them extremely vulnerable. They often feel they have little choice but to accept their working conditions - no matter how abusive."
It is late in downtown Manila. A young prostitute, no older than 14, stands in a yellow mini-skirt in front of a paunchy Welshman who has, fingers clicking, called her out from a group of around 30 skinny girls. As he heaves himself off a tiny bar stool he flicks up her skirt at the front to inspect her and with a wave of his hand sends her back to the goldfish bowl they stand in. Outside on Burgos Street, one of the most notorious red-light strips in Asia, the dark skies finally open up, breaking the intolerable humidity. Within moments the hot rain runs down the heavily made-up faces of the lowly street girls, the youngest of all the prostitutes, pathetic and ghoulish in their thin clothes and tottering high heels. Sheltering under the awning of a snack bar, Cristiana puts her hands out for a cigarette and shivers.
"The rain is bad for business," says the 15-year-old. As she speaks, she absentmindedly scrawls her number in the menu of the café she is taking shelter in. The menu she is holding is scribbled over with messages: "Hi! Hello! My name is Maria." "I'm Tina. Call for your heart's desire." Inside the café western men bounce tiny Filipina girls on their thighs like babies, the youngsters' infantile appearances exaggerated by their white ankle socks. The younger they look the more money they will make.
"I want to go to Europe, to work abroad as a massage therapist or a nurse. I would be happier there," says Cristiana. "I am working here to pay my way through my entrance exams to become a nurse. That is the dream we all share. To leave these islands for a better life."
About this article
This article was first published on guardian.co.uk at 00.01 BST on Sunday 24 May 2009. It appeared in the Observer on Sunday 24 May 2009 on p20 of the Comment & features section. It was last updated at 00.05 BST on Sunday 24 May 2009.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Filipino workers abroad send home more money in March despite downturn
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/09/05/15/10313832.html
05/16/2009 07:38 PM | AP
Manila: The central bank says Filipino workers have sent home a record high US$1.5 billion in March, up 3.1 percent from a year ago, as demand for Filipinos abroad remained steady despite the global economic crisis.
The March figure raised total remittances in the first quarter to $4.1 billion at an annual growth of 2.7 percent.
The World Bank has projected a 4 percent drop in remittances this year as a result of the global downturn, but according to the central bank, demand for Filipino labour is still strong.
Last year, overseas Filipinos sent home $16.4 billion, or 10.4 percent of the country's gross domestic product, fueling domestic consumption that is a lynchip of the economy. Nearly 10 percent of the country's 90 million people work abroad.
05/16/2009 07:38 PM | AP
Manila: The central bank says Filipino workers have sent home a record high US$1.5 billion in March, up 3.1 percent from a year ago, as demand for Filipinos abroad remained steady despite the global economic crisis.
The March figure raised total remittances in the first quarter to $4.1 billion at an annual growth of 2.7 percent.
The World Bank has projected a 4 percent drop in remittances this year as a result of the global downturn, but according to the central bank, demand for Filipino labour is still strong.
Last year, overseas Filipinos sent home $16.4 billion, or 10.4 percent of the country's gross domestic product, fueling domestic consumption that is a lynchip of the economy. Nearly 10 percent of the country's 90 million people work abroad.
UAE should be more than just a port of call
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/09/05/24/10316262.html
05/24/2009 12:13 AM | By Mishaal Al Gergawi, Special to Gulf News
Menudo is a Puerto Rican band that was founded in the late 1970s. The band came about after a producer enjoyed success with the management of a Spanish teen group called La Pandilla from 1973-1976. He returned to Puerto Rico with the intention of forming a new boy band in which the members would be replaced as they grew older. He resolved that the group's members would have to make way when they reached the age of 16, their voices changed, they grew facial hair, or grew too tall. In a sense, this is a brand rather than a band. Its product is flexible but its message remains the same; this is a marketer's dream.
So why am I talking about Menudo? Well, because the UAE's business model is very similar to that of the band. The UAE basically tells you that you are welcome to come here and give it your best shot, build yourself a life, get a good job, start a business, make Dh10 million, find a partner, buy a house and have children - but leave at 60.
This rule was drafted a long time ago. The times have changed and the UAE no longer aims to make money by simply re-exporting goods. We are now a self-proclaimed centre for a region that stretches to Central Asia and West Africa. We are undergoing a testing transformation from commercial centre to civil society and, most importantly, we aim to become a home as opposed to a transient state. We have great expectations indeed. But however great they may be, we must not shy away from them. We must not be hindered by archaic rules and regulations that were drafted for different times, different demographics and certainly different ambitions.
A friend of mine lost one of his newborn children when his wife went into premature labour. He buried his son in the UAE, but had to renew his annual visa three months later. He tells me this and I think to myself, we'll take their dead but not the living? This must be the result of a typo in the fine print, right? No, this is the status quo.
I am writing this article in sweat pants and a white T-shirt that bears the image of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late ruler and founder of the UAE. The T-shirt was created by Munabu Ozawa, a 36-year-old Japanese graphic designer who has been living in Dubai for six years now. While he's a self-confessed admirer of the UAE and its culture, he is not specifically interested in becoming an Emirati; he is a Japanese man who has found a home - and like-minded people - in Dubai. Should Ozawa choose to stay in the country and retire here - provided he can prove he has the funds - then I believe he should be able to do so.
This is what makes the UAE beautiful, and just because we've had significant growth over the last 10 years does not mean that our doors should be closed at some point. This will only attract opportunists who do not have a vested interest in the country and its sustainable development.
My friend trusted our country with his son and I believe we should trust him a little more and allow him more security with respect to his retirement plans.
- Mishaal Al Gergawi is an Emirati commentator on socio-economic and cultural affairs in the UAE.
05/24/2009 12:13 AM | By Mishaal Al Gergawi, Special to Gulf News
Menudo is a Puerto Rican band that was founded in the late 1970s. The band came about after a producer enjoyed success with the management of a Spanish teen group called La Pandilla from 1973-1976. He returned to Puerto Rico with the intention of forming a new boy band in which the members would be replaced as they grew older. He resolved that the group's members would have to make way when they reached the age of 16, their voices changed, they grew facial hair, or grew too tall. In a sense, this is a brand rather than a band. Its product is flexible but its message remains the same; this is a marketer's dream.
So why am I talking about Menudo? Well, because the UAE's business model is very similar to that of the band. The UAE basically tells you that you are welcome to come here and give it your best shot, build yourself a life, get a good job, start a business, make Dh10 million, find a partner, buy a house and have children - but leave at 60.
This rule was drafted a long time ago. The times have changed and the UAE no longer aims to make money by simply re-exporting goods. We are now a self-proclaimed centre for a region that stretches to Central Asia and West Africa. We are undergoing a testing transformation from commercial centre to civil society and, most importantly, we aim to become a home as opposed to a transient state. We have great expectations indeed. But however great they may be, we must not shy away from them. We must not be hindered by archaic rules and regulations that were drafted for different times, different demographics and certainly different ambitions.
A friend of mine lost one of his newborn children when his wife went into premature labour. He buried his son in the UAE, but had to renew his annual visa three months later. He tells me this and I think to myself, we'll take their dead but not the living? This must be the result of a typo in the fine print, right? No, this is the status quo.
I am writing this article in sweat pants and a white T-shirt that bears the image of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late ruler and founder of the UAE. The T-shirt was created by Munabu Ozawa, a 36-year-old Japanese graphic designer who has been living in Dubai for six years now. While he's a self-confessed admirer of the UAE and its culture, he is not specifically interested in becoming an Emirati; he is a Japanese man who has found a home - and like-minded people - in Dubai. Should Ozawa choose to stay in the country and retire here - provided he can prove he has the funds - then I believe he should be able to do so.
This is what makes the UAE beautiful, and just because we've had significant growth over the last 10 years does not mean that our doors should be closed at some point. This will only attract opportunists who do not have a vested interest in the country and its sustainable development.
My friend trusted our country with his son and I believe we should trust him a little more and allow him more security with respect to his retirement plans.
- Mishaal Al Gergawi is an Emirati commentator on socio-economic and cultural affairs in the UAE.
UAE: Expatriates must register for ID card, official says
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/09/05/24/10316356.html
05/23/2009 | By Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporter
Abu Dhabi: The Emirates Identity Authority (Eida) has dismissed rumours that the new national identity card is no longer mandatory for expatriates.
"It is quite strange that people believe their next-door neighbours rather than the official information," said Thamer Rashid Al Qasimi, Planning Director and Project Management Director at Eida.
He made it clear that all expatriates have to complete the ID card registration process as per the schedule announced by Eida.
"The registration process for category 2 [students and administrative staff in the private sector, translators, secretaries, typists, storekeepers and receptionists] began on March 1 and will continue until June 18. Although the registration period for expatriate professionals ended on February 28, they can still register," he explained.
Eida does not have exact figures for the number of expatriates in each category, but there are estimated to be about 600,000 professionals.
About 3,000 people are registering each day and about 500,000 expatriates have completed the registration process so far, according to the official.
"This 3,000 is just 60 per cent of our capacity and we have attracted this many people a day only after an intensive awareness campaign carried out among private organisations. We approach private companies and prompt them to utilise the special appointments system, which was introduced in March 2009," Al Qasimi explained.
More than 120 companies - more than 40 per cent of which are based in Abu Dhabi - have utilised the system thus far, he said.
Companies can approach the manager of the Eida registration centre in their area to arrange for phased appointments subject to availability, Al Qasimi said.
"No extra fee is levied for this service."
Thus far: The Process
About 99 per cent of Emiratis have been registered although a few are still completing the process despite the fact that the deadline was March 31, Al Qasimi said. A few hundred people who still need to register will be compelled to do so as they will be denied several official transactions, he said.
About 70 government organisations have made it mandatory for Emiratis to present their ID cards in order to access their services. "These include Dubai courts, Dubai Military Hospital, and water and electricity bodies in Abu Dhabi and Dubai," he said.
No shows
About 25 per cent of people who have made an appointment do not show up, Al Qasimi said. "They are spoiling the chance of others and wasting Eida's time," he said.
"Eida does not plan to take any punitive measures such as barring or suspending their registration, but we request people to respect the commitment they have made [in making an appointment]," he said, while hinting that Eida may be compelled to take action if this trend continues.
Expat registration schedule
Category 2: From March 1 to June 18. Students and administrative staff in the private sector (translators, secretaries, typists, storekeepers and receptionists).
Category 3: From June 20 to September 30. Private and public transport drivers and unskilled or semi-skilled workers in the private sector, such as housemaids, cleaners, farmers, fishermen, security guards, watchmen and all other unannounced workers except those in Category 4.
Category 4: From October 1, 2009, to December 31, 2010 Construction workers in the private sector .
05/23/2009 | By Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporter
Abu Dhabi: The Emirates Identity Authority (Eida) has dismissed rumours that the new national identity card is no longer mandatory for expatriates.
"It is quite strange that people believe their next-door neighbours rather than the official information," said Thamer Rashid Al Qasimi, Planning Director and Project Management Director at Eida.
He made it clear that all expatriates have to complete the ID card registration process as per the schedule announced by Eida.
"The registration process for category 2 [students and administrative staff in the private sector, translators, secretaries, typists, storekeepers and receptionists] began on March 1 and will continue until June 18. Although the registration period for expatriate professionals ended on February 28, they can still register," he explained.
Eida does not have exact figures for the number of expatriates in each category, but there are estimated to be about 600,000 professionals.
About 3,000 people are registering each day and about 500,000 expatriates have completed the registration process so far, according to the official.
"This 3,000 is just 60 per cent of our capacity and we have attracted this many people a day only after an intensive awareness campaign carried out among private organisations. We approach private companies and prompt them to utilise the special appointments system, which was introduced in March 2009," Al Qasimi explained.
More than 120 companies - more than 40 per cent of which are based in Abu Dhabi - have utilised the system thus far, he said.
Companies can approach the manager of the Eida registration centre in their area to arrange for phased appointments subject to availability, Al Qasimi said.
"No extra fee is levied for this service."
Thus far: The Process
About 99 per cent of Emiratis have been registered although a few are still completing the process despite the fact that the deadline was March 31, Al Qasimi said. A few hundred people who still need to register will be compelled to do so as they will be denied several official transactions, he said.
About 70 government organisations have made it mandatory for Emiratis to present their ID cards in order to access their services. "These include Dubai courts, Dubai Military Hospital, and water and electricity bodies in Abu Dhabi and Dubai," he said.
No shows
About 25 per cent of people who have made an appointment do not show up, Al Qasimi said. "They are spoiling the chance of others and wasting Eida's time," he said.
"Eida does not plan to take any punitive measures such as barring or suspending their registration, but we request people to respect the commitment they have made [in making an appointment]," he said, while hinting that Eida may be compelled to take action if this trend continues.
Expat registration schedule
Category 2: From March 1 to June 18. Students and administrative staff in the private sector (translators, secretaries, typists, storekeepers and receptionists).
Category 3: From June 20 to September 30. Private and public transport drivers and unskilled or semi-skilled workers in the private sector, such as housemaids, cleaners, farmers, fishermen, security guards, watchmen and all other unannounced workers except those in Category 4.
Category 4: From October 1, 2009, to December 31, 2010 Construction workers in the private sector .
Gulf News readers in favour of saving schemes
http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/09/05/23/10315961.html
05/22/2009 | By Rabab Khan, Community Journalist
Dubai: When the global financial crisis struck, the primary concern for most people was to keep their savings in a safe place.
Bonds and fixed deposits are just some of the ways to achieve this and Gulf News readers shared their experiences with saving schemes.
Lim Norma, a Filipino expatriate, said she is grateful for the saving schemes available in the country.
She said: "Recently, I invested in saving certificates and I think it is a good offer. We keep our money safe and at the end of the day have a chance to win a large sum of money. Additionally, it is not about winning, it is about psychological satisfaction."
Norma believes that companies should consider using the schemes at a corporate level.
She said: "In the Philippines, some companies encourage employees to invest in bonds, which are not necessarily related to the company. There is a minimum amount and the dividends differ based on your contribution. Also, employees can withdraw their invested amount at any point."
Tripti Pathak, an Indian expatriate, feels that her money is secure when using fixed deposits.
She said: "It is a great way to be certain that part of our income is safe and will amount to a certain profit during the year, in the form of interest."
Pathak urges companies to start utilising saving schemes for the benefit of their employees.
She said: "If companies used the schemes, it would give some sort of security to their employees and help safeguard their money for the uncertainties in life. Additionally, it would be a great form of motivation for them."
Looking at the flip side of the coin is Nirmal Devasurendra, a Sri Lankan expatriate, who is sceptical about saving schemes.
He said: "I personally think it is not a sound investment, especially considering the global financial crisis. I would not want to allocate all my funds in one place. However, I do know somebody who received prize money after investing in one of the saving schemes, recently. It is a one-time shot and could be a good opportunity for some."
Mona Syed-Mirza, a British expatriate, agrees.
She said: "Before investing in one of the options, we need to analyse our personal situation and make an informed decision. In a stable environment, a fixed deposit might be a good idea, as it is a good way to earn a little money through interest. But, if you are in a time of need you can get unnecessarily tied up."
05/22/2009 | By Rabab Khan, Community Journalist
Dubai: When the global financial crisis struck, the primary concern for most people was to keep their savings in a safe place.
Bonds and fixed deposits are just some of the ways to achieve this and Gulf News readers shared their experiences with saving schemes.
Lim Norma, a Filipino expatriate, said she is grateful for the saving schemes available in the country.
She said: "Recently, I invested in saving certificates and I think it is a good offer. We keep our money safe and at the end of the day have a chance to win a large sum of money. Additionally, it is not about winning, it is about psychological satisfaction."
Norma believes that companies should consider using the schemes at a corporate level.
She said: "In the Philippines, some companies encourage employees to invest in bonds, which are not necessarily related to the company. There is a minimum amount and the dividends differ based on your contribution. Also, employees can withdraw their invested amount at any point."
Tripti Pathak, an Indian expatriate, feels that her money is secure when using fixed deposits.
She said: "It is a great way to be certain that part of our income is safe and will amount to a certain profit during the year, in the form of interest."
Pathak urges companies to start utilising saving schemes for the benefit of their employees.
She said: "If companies used the schemes, it would give some sort of security to their employees and help safeguard their money for the uncertainties in life. Additionally, it would be a great form of motivation for them."
Looking at the flip side of the coin is Nirmal Devasurendra, a Sri Lankan expatriate, who is sceptical about saving schemes.
He said: "I personally think it is not a sound investment, especially considering the global financial crisis. I would not want to allocate all my funds in one place. However, I do know somebody who received prize money after investing in one of the saving schemes, recently. It is a one-time shot and could be a good opportunity for some."
Mona Syed-Mirza, a British expatriate, agrees.
She said: "Before investing in one of the options, we need to analyse our personal situation and make an informed decision. In a stable environment, a fixed deposit might be a good idea, as it is a good way to earn a little money through interest. But, if you are in a time of need you can get unnecessarily tied up."
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Worst of economic crisis over for Dubai: ruler
Apr 18, 2009
DUBAI (AFP) — Dubai's ruler insists his Gulf emirate has recovered from the worst of the fallout from the global economic crisis and has also defended the grandiose vision of the formerly booming city state.
"We have overcome the crisis with the least amount of losses," Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed al-Maktoum, who is also United Arab Emirates prime minister, told Dubai's first e-press conference.
"For us in the United Arab Emirates, I can safely say that we have succeeded in containing the risks of the global financial crisis in record time," said Sheikh Mohammad.
His answers to journalists' questions were posted on the website www.uaepm.ae on Saturday.
Sheikh Mohammad put the recovery down to "the additional liquidity that the Abu Dhabi government pumped into the Emirates' banks" and the bond issuance of 20 billion dollars.
However, Sheikh Mohammad acknowledged that economic growth in the UAE would probably fall to around three percent in 2009, down from 7.4 percent last year. But he ruled out introducing income tax.
On the world crisis, he said: "I think the panic phase is over now, especially after the intervention of governments in many major countries to regulate financial and banking sectors, and the allocation of large sums of money to revitalise their economies."
As for Dubai itself, Sheikh Mohammad shrugged off comments that "the bubble" had burst on its dazzlingly rapid development.
"I keep hearing the expression of 'the bubble' for the past couple of decades. In my opinion, this bubble is found only in the minds of those who often keep repeating it and do not know its meaning," he said.
Sheikh Mohammad also brushed aside a spate of negative articles in the international media.
"The stereotypes are being brought up. It seems that any successful Arab model in economic development invites such negative treatment in the international media," he said.
The architect of Dubai's emergence on the world stage as a regional business, IT and leisure hub defended the emirate's achievements.
"We are not growing in order to be a model for its highest building in the world, best airport, and most luxurious hotel, and the largest seaport and man-made islands," he said.
"The Dubai model is beyond that... Dubai is an Arab city with scarce natural resources but with a clear vision of comprehensive development and social needs," he said.
It has "succeeded through investments in human resources, its unique geographical location and trade expertise."
DUBAI (AFP) — Dubai's ruler insists his Gulf emirate has recovered from the worst of the fallout from the global economic crisis and has also defended the grandiose vision of the formerly booming city state.
"We have overcome the crisis with the least amount of losses," Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed al-Maktoum, who is also United Arab Emirates prime minister, told Dubai's first e-press conference.
"For us in the United Arab Emirates, I can safely say that we have succeeded in containing the risks of the global financial crisis in record time," said Sheikh Mohammad.
His answers to journalists' questions were posted on the website www.uaepm.ae on Saturday.
Sheikh Mohammad put the recovery down to "the additional liquidity that the Abu Dhabi government pumped into the Emirates' banks" and the bond issuance of 20 billion dollars.
However, Sheikh Mohammad acknowledged that economic growth in the UAE would probably fall to around three percent in 2009, down from 7.4 percent last year. But he ruled out introducing income tax.
On the world crisis, he said: "I think the panic phase is over now, especially after the intervention of governments in many major countries to regulate financial and banking sectors, and the allocation of large sums of money to revitalise their economies."
As for Dubai itself, Sheikh Mohammad shrugged off comments that "the bubble" had burst on its dazzlingly rapid development.
"I keep hearing the expression of 'the bubble' for the past couple of decades. In my opinion, this bubble is found only in the minds of those who often keep repeating it and do not know its meaning," he said.
Sheikh Mohammad also brushed aside a spate of negative articles in the international media.
"The stereotypes are being brought up. It seems that any successful Arab model in economic development invites such negative treatment in the international media," he said.
The architect of Dubai's emergence on the world stage as a regional business, IT and leisure hub defended the emirate's achievements.
"We are not growing in order to be a model for its highest building in the world, best airport, and most luxurious hotel, and the largest seaport and man-made islands," he said.
"The Dubai model is beyond that... Dubai is an Arab city with scarce natural resources but with a clear vision of comprehensive development and social needs," he said.
It has "succeeded through investments in human resources, its unique geographical location and trade expertise."
A brief overview of the United Arab Emirates
I. THE FORMATION OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Before the oil boom of the early 1970s, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was a collection of small coastal and desert settlements, precariously dependent on relatively meagre trade, pearling and subsistence farming. From 1853 until 1971, the region was known as the Trucial States, closely bound by treaty relationships with Britain.
The coastal towns of the UAE had been trading ports for hundreds of years, and were well located as transhipment outposts for cargoes from India and Africa, as well as Iran. A number of prominent Emirati merchant families in fact trace their origins to India and Iran. The region was also a major producer of natural pearls until the 1930s, when the advent of Japanese cultured pearls severely undercut the traditional pearl market.
The UAE today is a federation of seven of the former Trucial States: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras al-Khaimah, Ajman, Umm al-Qaiwain and Fujairah. Bahrain, which had also been one of the Trucial States, chose a separate path to independence. The UAE came into existence on 2 December 1971, the day before Britain ended its treaty relationships in the Gulf.
Abu Dhabi is the largest and most affluent of the states of the UAE. It occupies more than 80% of the land area—and controls more than 90% share of the oil wealth. Abu Dhabi is also the national capital of the UAE and the centre for the oil and gas industry.
Dubai is the commercial and shipping hub of the country. It has built on its trading foundation to create the region’s premier port and airport facilities, warehousing, tourism, ICT and financial infrastructure.
Sharjah is the third-largest emirate and a centre for manufacturing. Similar to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, it has an entrepreneurial business culture, and an energetic business community seeking closer links with Australia.
Ras al-Khaimah (RAK) is the fourth-largest and most northern of the emirates. Education and health care are the two key development initiatives of the RAK government.
Ajman is the smallest of the seven in physical size, with a total area of 260 sq kms. It has a population of around 207,000 . Despite its small area, it has experienced rapid growth, particularly in the construction sector, spurred by the offer of 100% freehold ownership of real estate for non-Emiratis.
Umm al-Qaiwain is the least populated of the seven emirates, with an estimated 49,159 inhabitants in 2007. The emirate is known for its beach resorts and a more restful and relaxed lifestyle.
Fujairah is also small in population with 126,000 inhabitants at the time of the 2005 census. It borders the Arabian Sea and (along with a detached enclave of Sharjah at Khor Fakkan) has well-developed port facilities some 70 nautical miles south of the Straits of Hormuz.
A. The Government of the United Arab Emirates
The UAE is governed by the Federal Supreme Council comprised of the rulers of each of the seven emirates. The President is HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi, and the Vice President and Prime Minister is HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai.
The Federal Supreme Council passes federal law and the individual emirates regulate local matters.
The stable political alliance of the seven emirates of the UAE has been the bedrock of the nation’s growth. Distributed oil wealth has been key to its cohesion and prosperity.
II. THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES ECONOMY
A. Basic demographics
The UAE has a population of around 4.6 million of whom some 82% are expatriates. Expatriate workers are largely drawn from South Asia, the Philippines as well as other Arab countries and Europe, the US and Australia. The Emirati population is very youthful, with 20% aged under 14 years.
B. GDP trends
The governments of the UAE, especially Abu Dhabi and Dubai, have been particularly skilful in blending a combination of oil and gas revenue with strong trading and services sectors to produce amongst the world’s most impressive economic performances. Average real GDP growth (according to Economist Intelligence Unit [EIU] figures) was 9.3% from 2003 to 2007 – a remarkable economic performance.
IMF statistics indicate real GDP growth of 7.4% in 2007, with an estimate of 7% for 2008. (See IMF Regional Economic Outlook for details.)
GDP per capita was estimated at around US$37,000 in 2007, compared with US$37,300 in Australia for the same period.
The EIU expects UAE’s growth rate to slow in late 2008, largely as a result of OPEC-mandated production cuts, as well as a slowdown in Dubai’s construction sector.
The EIU has dropped its 2009 GDP growth estimate for the UAE from 7.5% to 4.9%.
C. Oil and the UAE
The UAE holds nearly 10 percent of the total world supply of proven crude oil reserves and the fifth-largest natural gas reserves. As noted, Abu Dhabi controls more than 90 percent of these resources and is considered to have over 100 years of oil reserves remaining at 2007 rates of production.
Prior to the 2008 global credit crisis, the UAE continued to increase oil production. Upstream oil and gas agencies in the UAE have identified a range of new projects aimed at boosting the nation’s crude oil production capacity to nearly 4 million barrels per day by 2020. This would represent an increase of approximately 40 percent over current production levels.
1. Gas – the Dolphin project
The Dolphin project was launched in March 1999 following an announcement by the UAE and Qatar of plans for a joint venture aimed at transporting gas from Qatar's huge fields to industrial consumers in the UAE, Oman and other countries.
Dolphin is intended to provide a delivery infrastructure that will stimulate investment in a variety of related industries along the value-added gas chain. The gas also supports domestic electricity demands and frees Abu Dhabi’s natural gas supply for crude oil recovery. The project began delivering gas to power companies in the second quarter of 2007.
2. Oil pipelines
Gulf governments are studying the development of oil pipelines that would bypass the Strait of Hormuz. About 40 percent of the world’s traded oil is shipped through this 55 km wide passage.
If built, the pipelines could move as much as 6.5 million barrels of oil per day or about 40 percent of the amount currently shipped through the Strait. Construction of a first pipeline would carry oil from the UAE’s Habshan oil field to the Emirate of Fujairah, located outside the Strait of Hormuz on the Arabian Sea.
3. Bunkering
Fujairah and nearby Khor Fakkan (a coastal enclave of Sharjah) also provide extensive bunkering facilities. These centres represent the world’s second-largest marine fuel market, handling 10 million tonnes of marine fuel oil a year, compared with around 31.5 million tonnes in Singapore.
D. Non-oil sector
The non-oil sector in the UAE continues to show solid growth, fuelled by supportive government programs. Dubai’s non-oil sector, for example, grew on average by 15% p.a. during 2000-05.
Growth in this sector in 2007 was estimated to be 21%, primed by building and construction, retail, entertainment events, tourism, air transport, manufacturing and port operations.
Inflation has become a major concern as a result of such rapid growth, whilst flexibility to respond in monetary policy terms has been limited, given the pegging of the UAE dirham to the US dollar. There is some worry that the 2003-07 average inflation rate of 9.8% may increase further.
1. Jebel Ali Port
In 1976 the ruler of Dubai, the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, conceived the construction of the world's largest man-made harbour at Jebel Ali, some 35 kms. southwest of the city of Dubai. The port facility is 134 sq kms. and has capacity for 67 berths.
Jebel Ali Port is part of DP World, one of the world’s largest port operators. Along with nearby Port Rashid, Jebel Ali handled 11 million TEUs (twenty foot equivalent container units) in 2007, an increase of 20% on the previous year. The Dubai ports rank 7th globally in container volumes. This compares with Melbourne (2 million TEUs) and Singapore (27 million TEUs).
Although complementing the port and transshipment facilities of Port Rashid, Jebel Ali is particularly geared to industrial development and has major aluminium, gas and cement plants.
2. Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA)
The adjoining Jebel Ali Free Zone hosts some 5,500 companies from 120 nations, and offers well-serviced facilities, low overheads and the freedom to operate with an offshore status.
JAFZA spreads over an area of 49 square kms, and ranks among the world’s largest and the fastest growing free trade zones (FTZs). There are now about 12 free trade zones in the UAE, with more planned or in progress, all offering attractive establishment and support services to foreign companies. These facilities provide excellent warehousing and distribution facilities, including cold stores, and are described at UAE-FTZ.
E. Transhipment
Dubai has always been a major transhipment port for the Middle East and North Africa as well as European destinations. It has developed sophisticated logistics systems to facilitate cargo transfer – by sea and air. Saudi Arabia is one of the major transhipment destinations for Dubai cargos.
For distribution to other GCC markets, the UAE FTZs provide distribution hubs where products can be reassembled, repacked and labelled for specific markets.
F. Air travel
The UAE has 5 international airports (in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al-Khaimah and Sharjah), the major centres being Abu Dhabi and Dubai. This is possibly the tightest concentration of major international airport facilities in the world.
Dubai International Airport, despite its recent expansion, is thought insufficient to cope with the expected influx of travellers over the next few years, so another facility, the Al-Maktoum airport is under construction at Jebel Ali, 35km away. This airport is due to come into full operation in 2017. The first 4.5 kms runway of this airport is already complete, as the first of six runways, designed to handle 120 million passengers a year. This is expected to be the world's largest airport complex.
Emirates Airlines (Dubai) and Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi) have established high standards of service with modern fleets offering premium passenger facilities. Both UAE airlines offer direct services to Australia, with connecting services to major ports in the Middle East and Europe. The direct flight from Sydney to Dubai is around 15 hours.
G. Tourism
Dubai currently attracts around 7 million foreign visitors per year, and has over 300,000 hotel rooms available, 60% of which are in the 4 to 5 star category. Tourism contributes around 18% to Dubai’s GDP per year.
Abu Dhabi is also investing heavily in tourist facilities and is targeting 2.7 million hotel guests by the year 2012. Currently Abu Dhabi receives some 1.45 million hotel guests annually. Other emirates have also given tourism developments high priority.
Recent forecasts of a further slowdown in demand in key European economies and in the US, however, which together account for some 40% of total arrivals to the UAE, suggest the projections of tourism growth over the next few years may need to be moderated.
H. The property boom
In 2002, the Government of Dubai relaxed restrictions on foreign investment in property, to meet a pent-up demand for residential property from foreigners and spurring a host of spectacular developments. Similar property development is taking place in Abu Dhabi.
Both cities are being reshaped as some of the world’s most prominent architects vie to build ‘signature‘ showcase projects. Notable structures include the Burj Tower, the world’s tallest building, and the visionary Dubai Rotating Tower, a rotating 80-storey complex that constantly changes shape, which has been proposed for construction in the near future.
The 2008 global credit crisis, however, may be expected to have some impact on the phenomenal growth rates experienced by the UAE property sector, albeit that major developers remain confident of the future of the high-end of this market. - Lifted from Business Guide to UAE, http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/uae/index.html
United Arab Emirates Country Brief – January 2008
Political Overview
The UAE is a federation of seven Emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras Al Khaimah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah) that federated in December 1971. Since that time, the UAE has developed rapidly into a nation with modern infrastructure and a high standard of living.
The current President is HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is also ruler of Abu Dhabi Emirate. The Ruler of Dubai, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is the Vice-President, Prime Minister and Defence Minister.
The UAE federal structure includes a Supreme Council (comprising the rulers of each Emirate), a Council of Ministers, a semi-appointed Federal National Council (half the members are elected) with advisory powers and an independent judiciary. Each Emirate is nevertheless still governed by its own ruler and has its own local government.
The UAE is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which also includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar. It is a member of the Arab League, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the United Nations and the WTO.
Economic Overview
The UAE has the world's third largest conventional oil reserves and fifth largest natural gas reserves and is a major player in world energy markets. These reserves are overwhelmingly located in Abu Dhabi. The UAE is the Middle East's second largest economy after Saudi Arabia.
In the medium term, the UAE economy will continue to rely on its huge oil and gas reserves - which account for around a third of GDP, 40 per cent of exports, and the bulk of government revenue - to underpin its economic development. Investment income is also substantial and provides a further element to economic activity. Dubai Emirate has used its oil reserves to fund a range of diversification efforts to establish itself as a tourism, ICT, re-export and financial hub. Taking full advantage of its position near the head of the Gulf, it has become the key regional entrepot. Dubai has developed prestige hotels, massive port facilities and a range of free trade zones to attract both manufacturing and services industries. Increasingly, other emirates are looking to emulate the Dubai model, albeit on a smaller scale. - http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/uae/uae_country_brief.html
Thursday, May 21, 2009
My OFW daughters and the rising peso
By Felicito C. Payumo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: January 17, 2008
MANILA, Philippines--MY THREE OFW daughters came home, briefly, for the wedding of their brother. Over breakfast, I asked Ani, who works in New York City doing structured finance for a financial guarantee company, if she thought that the United States is deliberately keeping the value of the dollar low. She said she didn't think so--not as matter of policy. "Because of the recession or its anticipation, the Fed is being pressured to reduce interest rate to perk up the capital market. But as the interest rate is slashed, funds tend to leave the United States to seek higher interest rates elsewhere. As a consequence, the dollar falls, but it's not as if the United States has designed to keep it low."
"But isn't the recession caused by the deluge of manufactured goods from third world countries?" I countered. "China now swamps the US market with food, apparel, toys, electronics and hi-tech gadgets. This takes away jobs from Americans, so the United States now wants the dollar kept weaker vs. other currencies so that manufactured goods from other countries will be more expensive, that is, less competitive. So, it is by design," I pontificated to end the argument.
"But if that is so, how come the Euro remains strong even though Chinese products are all over the stores in Europe," my other daughter, Ela, joined in. She works with a retail company in London, so she should know. I could only reply, "Maybe the Euro is getting strong because the dollar is getting weak."
All the while, my third daughter, Aileen, was listening but remained clueless in the discussion. She had dabbled in the theatre earlier but now works for a hip-hop magazine in Manhattan. All these were strange to her. "Ah, basta. What I know is my dollars now get me fewer pesos to buy gifts for my former yaya," Aileen, ended the argument...and the tutorial lessons.
I asked myself "if my daughter who has no dependents immediately felt the effect of the rising peso, what about the dependents of the rest of the 8.2 million overseas Filipino workers?" That's 10 percent of all Filipinos, and assuming they each have five dependents, they would number 41 million or nearly 50 percent of our total population. And the profile isn't pretty. Household and related workers category topped the list at 28 percent of land-based new hires. This was followed by construction workers (14 percent), and factory workers (14 percent). The rest are in the service industry with professional, medical and technical workers in the minority. An estimate of OFW money flows puts $11.2 billion (80 percent of total official remittance) for living expenses, medical and educational expenses, house construction and improvements, and consumables. The majority are unable to set aside for savings or investments. And this was before March 2004 when $1 exchanged for P56.36. Since then the peso has strengthened so that the OFWs and exporters have lost 26.5 percent of their income. Today, the value of the dollar is about P41. That means for every $100 they receive, OFW dependents now get P1,500 less.
But what about the cost of living? When I checked, the general price level had increased by 43.1 percent from March 2004 to October 2007, with year 2000 as a base. The sharpest increases were noted in fuel, light, water and services (79 percent), pushed obviously by the increase in crude oil price. Food and beverage prices which account for half of the consumer basket rose by 37 percent.
What do these all mean? It means that our OFWs and their dependents, which account for half of our population, are being hit by a double whammy of decreasing incomes and rising prices.
No wonder, everyone throws his two cents' worth on how to alleviate their plight--from having a fixed exchange rate for OFW remittances (in effect a subsidy, but who would bear the cost?), or a forward cover (which very few OFWs avail of), to prepaying and refraining from taking dollar loans and switching to borrowing in pesos, to suspending collection of the EVAT for fuel, as suggested by Sen. Mar Roxas (which makes the most sense) as EVAT is directly borne by the end-consumers, that is, the masses.
The response from the government is, unfortunately, a tepid one--a one-percent reduction of the tariff on fuel imports by oil companies at certain trigger prices. Not only does it come too little, too late--it is misdirected. It is the oil companies who will benefit from the tariff reduction, as a militant labor group observed, so much so that President Macapagal-Arroyo will have to tell them to pass on the savings to the consumers. The Department of Finance opposes the suspension of the EVAT because that would mean P54 billion in foregone revenues. It fears that the budget deficit will increase and this may trigger increase in prices. But what can be worse as inflationary trigger than a direct tax such as the EVAT on rising oil prices borne directly by the masses? As to the concern on foregone revenues, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has lost that much amount already in defending the dollar!
Meanwhile, we can only cry with our OFWs. Yet we hail them as our heroes. But then, praise is cheap.
Felicito C. Payumo was a three-term congressman from Bataan and former chair/administrator of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: January 17, 2008
MANILA, Philippines--MY THREE OFW daughters came home, briefly, for the wedding of their brother. Over breakfast, I asked Ani, who works in New York City doing structured finance for a financial guarantee company, if she thought that the United States is deliberately keeping the value of the dollar low. She said she didn't think so--not as matter of policy. "Because of the recession or its anticipation, the Fed is being pressured to reduce interest rate to perk up the capital market. But as the interest rate is slashed, funds tend to leave the United States to seek higher interest rates elsewhere. As a consequence, the dollar falls, but it's not as if the United States has designed to keep it low."
"But isn't the recession caused by the deluge of manufactured goods from third world countries?" I countered. "China now swamps the US market with food, apparel, toys, electronics and hi-tech gadgets. This takes away jobs from Americans, so the United States now wants the dollar kept weaker vs. other currencies so that manufactured goods from other countries will be more expensive, that is, less competitive. So, it is by design," I pontificated to end the argument.
"But if that is so, how come the Euro remains strong even though Chinese products are all over the stores in Europe," my other daughter, Ela, joined in. She works with a retail company in London, so she should know. I could only reply, "Maybe the Euro is getting strong because the dollar is getting weak."
All the while, my third daughter, Aileen, was listening but remained clueless in the discussion. She had dabbled in the theatre earlier but now works for a hip-hop magazine in Manhattan. All these were strange to her. "Ah, basta. What I know is my dollars now get me fewer pesos to buy gifts for my former yaya," Aileen, ended the argument...and the tutorial lessons.
I asked myself "if my daughter who has no dependents immediately felt the effect of the rising peso, what about the dependents of the rest of the 8.2 million overseas Filipino workers?" That's 10 percent of all Filipinos, and assuming they each have five dependents, they would number 41 million or nearly 50 percent of our total population. And the profile isn't pretty. Household and related workers category topped the list at 28 percent of land-based new hires. This was followed by construction workers (14 percent), and factory workers (14 percent). The rest are in the service industry with professional, medical and technical workers in the minority. An estimate of OFW money flows puts $11.2 billion (80 percent of total official remittance) for living expenses, medical and educational expenses, house construction and improvements, and consumables. The majority are unable to set aside for savings or investments. And this was before March 2004 when $1 exchanged for P56.36. Since then the peso has strengthened so that the OFWs and exporters have lost 26.5 percent of their income. Today, the value of the dollar is about P41. That means for every $100 they receive, OFW dependents now get P1,500 less.
But what about the cost of living? When I checked, the general price level had increased by 43.1 percent from March 2004 to October 2007, with year 2000 as a base. The sharpest increases were noted in fuel, light, water and services (79 percent), pushed obviously by the increase in crude oil price. Food and beverage prices which account for half of the consumer basket rose by 37 percent.
What do these all mean? It means that our OFWs and their dependents, which account for half of our population, are being hit by a double whammy of decreasing incomes and rising prices.
No wonder, everyone throws his two cents' worth on how to alleviate their plight--from having a fixed exchange rate for OFW remittances (in effect a subsidy, but who would bear the cost?), or a forward cover (which very few OFWs avail of), to prepaying and refraining from taking dollar loans and switching to borrowing in pesos, to suspending collection of the EVAT for fuel, as suggested by Sen. Mar Roxas (which makes the most sense) as EVAT is directly borne by the end-consumers, that is, the masses.
The response from the government is, unfortunately, a tepid one--a one-percent reduction of the tariff on fuel imports by oil companies at certain trigger prices. Not only does it come too little, too late--it is misdirected. It is the oil companies who will benefit from the tariff reduction, as a militant labor group observed, so much so that President Macapagal-Arroyo will have to tell them to pass on the savings to the consumers. The Department of Finance opposes the suspension of the EVAT because that would mean P54 billion in foregone revenues. It fears that the budget deficit will increase and this may trigger increase in prices. But what can be worse as inflationary trigger than a direct tax such as the EVAT on rising oil prices borne directly by the masses? As to the concern on foregone revenues, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has lost that much amount already in defending the dollar!
Meanwhile, we can only cry with our OFWs. Yet we hail them as our heroes. But then, praise is cheap.
Felicito C. Payumo was a three-term congressman from Bataan and former chair/administrator of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Pinay held like a prisoner by UAE employment firm
GMANews.TV
September 30, 2008
MANILA, Philippines – Another Filipina worker in the United Arab Emirates is asking the Philippine government to help her escape her allegedly abusive employer, who has been holding her like a prisoner.
Relatives and friends of Maria Caridad E. Laganzo relayed the plea of help to GMANews. TV on Tuesday.
Laganzo's brother, Randy Evangelista, said his family learned of his sister's plight last September 9: "My sister called us to seek for immediate help as she planned to escape from her abusive employer. I was able to seek help from OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) to make sure that my sister is safe. According to Maricar, she was immediately taken from her employer to her agency. And matters turned from bad to worse."
Maricar is in the custody of her employment agency, Al-Doukhi Labour Supply, which is operated by a Ms. Danah Barlaan.
"My sister is a victim of an abusive employer, a dogged illegal recruiter, and now, she is all alone in a foreign land, illegally jailed, while her four small children await for news of her return," Evangelista said.
According to him, Maricar is virtually held as a prisoner of the agency, and the owner has been threatening to have her thrown in jail if they fail to pay the agency for their employment contract.
At present, Maricar is the only Filipina left detained in the agency, locked inside a small, kitchen without any ventilation. Her communication lines are closed and her family has no way of confirming her condition.
Ferlie Ann Navarro, also one of those previously detained in the agency, was able to pay her way back to the Philippines and can attest to the abuses and suffering that Maricar has been experiencing, Maricar's brother said. - D'Jay Lazaro, GMANews.TV
September 30, 2008
MANILA, Philippines – Another Filipina worker in the United Arab Emirates is asking the Philippine government to help her escape her allegedly abusive employer, who has been holding her like a prisoner.
Relatives and friends of Maria Caridad E. Laganzo relayed the plea of help to GMANews. TV on Tuesday.
Laganzo's brother, Randy Evangelista, said his family learned of his sister's plight last September 9: "My sister called us to seek for immediate help as she planned to escape from her abusive employer. I was able to seek help from OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) to make sure that my sister is safe. According to Maricar, she was immediately taken from her employer to her agency. And matters turned from bad to worse."
Maricar is in the custody of her employment agency, Al-Doukhi Labour Supply, which is operated by a Ms. Danah Barlaan.
"My sister is a victim of an abusive employer, a dogged illegal recruiter, and now, she is all alone in a foreign land, illegally jailed, while her four small children await for news of her return," Evangelista said.
According to him, Maricar is virtually held as a prisoner of the agency, and the owner has been threatening to have her thrown in jail if they fail to pay the agency for their employment contract.
At present, Maricar is the only Filipina left detained in the agency, locked inside a small, kitchen without any ventilation. Her communication lines are closed and her family has no way of confirming her condition.
Ferlie Ann Navarro, also one of those previously detained in the agency, was able to pay her way back to the Philippines and can attest to the abuses and suffering that Maricar has been experiencing, Maricar's brother said. - D'Jay Lazaro, GMANews.TV
OFW escapes recruiter in Dubai, seeks help from RP embassy
October 05, 2008
MANILA, Philippines - An undocumented overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who earlier asked help from the Philippine government has escaped from her recruiter in Dubai, according to her brother.
Maria Caridad “Maricar" Laganzo fled her recruiter Sunday morning and was on her way to the nearest Philippine Embassy in the United Arab Emirates to seek assistance, her brother Randy told GMANews.TV in a text message.
"Katatawag lang ni Maricar. Tumakas na siya sa agency Al Doukhi Labour Supply owned by a certain Danah Barlaan, also a Filipina, (Maricar has just called up. She has escaped from Al Doukhi Labour Supply agency owned by a certain Danah Barlaan, also a Filipino)" said Randy in his text message.
Randy said that the owner of 7 Blessings, the local employment agency of Al Doukhi, also called him and told him that Laganzo’s escape was reported to the Dubai police.
He said his sister escaped with another Filipina.
“Binasag daw ang salamin ng agency. Kasama niya yung isa pang Pinay, Baby Ruth Sacdalan, na sinasaktan din ng amo at kinulong din sa agency (I was told by the owner of 7 Blessings that my sister broke the glass entrance of the agency and escaped with Baby Ruth Sacdalan, who was also being hurt by her employer and help up at the agency), " said Randy.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration on Friday said it was not in a position to help Laganzo because she is an undocumented OFW.
“On our part, wala kaming matetake na action dahil undocumented siya (we cannot take action because she is undocumented), maybe the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration can help them," said POEA Administrator Jennifer Manalili.
Philippine embassies, along with their labor and OWWA components, have a standing policy of helping any OFW, whether legally deployed or not.
But the POEA is limited to helping only the documented since its role is limited to regulating recruitment or manpower agencies. - D'Jay Lazaro, GMANews.TV
MANILA, Philippines - An undocumented overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who earlier asked help from the Philippine government has escaped from her recruiter in Dubai, according to her brother.
Maria Caridad “Maricar" Laganzo fled her recruiter Sunday morning and was on her way to the nearest Philippine Embassy in the United Arab Emirates to seek assistance, her brother Randy told GMANews.TV in a text message.
"Katatawag lang ni Maricar. Tumakas na siya sa agency Al Doukhi Labour Supply owned by a certain Danah Barlaan, also a Filipina, (Maricar has just called up. She has escaped from Al Doukhi Labour Supply agency owned by a certain Danah Barlaan, also a Filipino)" said Randy in his text message.
Randy said that the owner of 7 Blessings, the local employment agency of Al Doukhi, also called him and told him that Laganzo’s escape was reported to the Dubai police.
He said his sister escaped with another Filipina.
“Binasag daw ang salamin ng agency. Kasama niya yung isa pang Pinay, Baby Ruth Sacdalan, na sinasaktan din ng amo at kinulong din sa agency (I was told by the owner of 7 Blessings that my sister broke the glass entrance of the agency and escaped with Baby Ruth Sacdalan, who was also being hurt by her employer and help up at the agency), " said Randy.
The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration on Friday said it was not in a position to help Laganzo because she is an undocumented OFW.
“On our part, wala kaming matetake na action dahil undocumented siya (we cannot take action because she is undocumented), maybe the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration can help them," said POEA Administrator Jennifer Manalili.
Philippine embassies, along with their labor and OWWA components, have a standing policy of helping any OFW, whether legally deployed or not.
But the POEA is limited to helping only the documented since its role is limited to regulating recruitment or manpower agencies. - D'Jay Lazaro, GMANews.TV
Pinay held captive by UAE employment firm returns home
KIMBERLY JANE T. TAN, GMANews.TV
May 19, 2009
MANILA, Philippines - A Filipina worker who was once held like a prisoner by her employment firm in the United Arab Emirates has finally returned to the Philippines.
Overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Maria Caridad “Maricar" Evangelista Laganzo arrived in Manila via Gulf Air on Monday at 11:10 a.m.
Laganzo went to Dubai in October 2007 to work as a domestic helper but was reportedly maltreated by her employer who threw a chair at her, denied her proper wages, and even threatened to send her to jail.
But after several media people took interest in the plight of the 35-year-old OFW, her employer sent her back to her employment agency, the Al-Doukhi Labour Supply.
The agency then locked her inside a small kitchen without any ventilation and adequate food supplies. [See: Pinay held like a prisoner by UAE employment firm]
Having heard this, militant groups Anakpawis and Migrante International held a picket in front of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) office on October 3, 2008 to demand action on the plight of runaway OFWs in Middle East countries.
The POEA, however, said it was not in a position to help Laganzo because she is an undocumented OFW.
“On our part, wala kaming matetake na action dahil undocumented siya (we cannot take action because she is undocumented), maybe the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA_ can help them," said POEA Administrator Jennifer Manalili.
Philippine embassies, along with their labor and OWWA components, have a standing policy of helping any OFW, whether legally deployed or not.
The POEA, on the other hand, is limited to helping only the documented since its role is limited to regulating recruitment or manpower agencies.
Laganzo, meanwhile, escaped from her agency two days later.
She immediately went to the OWWA center in Dubai where support from the Filipino community poured in. [See: OFW escapes recruiter in Dubai, seeks help from RP embassy]
Anakpawis and Migrante then sought the help of Senator Manuel Villar, who is known for helping distressed OFWs, to help in the repatriation of Laganzo.
“Maricar’s family has long been waiting for her repatriation after her ordeal in the Middle East, and we are happy that she has returned safe and whole," said the senator. - GMANews.TV
May 19, 2009
MANILA, Philippines - A Filipina worker who was once held like a prisoner by her employment firm in the United Arab Emirates has finally returned to the Philippines.
Overseas Filipino worker (OFW) Maria Caridad “Maricar" Evangelista Laganzo arrived in Manila via Gulf Air on Monday at 11:10 a.m.
Laganzo went to Dubai in October 2007 to work as a domestic helper but was reportedly maltreated by her employer who threw a chair at her, denied her proper wages, and even threatened to send her to jail.
But after several media people took interest in the plight of the 35-year-old OFW, her employer sent her back to her employment agency, the Al-Doukhi Labour Supply.
The agency then locked her inside a small kitchen without any ventilation and adequate food supplies. [See: Pinay held like a prisoner by UAE employment firm]
Having heard this, militant groups Anakpawis and Migrante International held a picket in front of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) office on October 3, 2008 to demand action on the plight of runaway OFWs in Middle East countries.
The POEA, however, said it was not in a position to help Laganzo because she is an undocumented OFW.
“On our part, wala kaming matetake na action dahil undocumented siya (we cannot take action because she is undocumented), maybe the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA_ can help them," said POEA Administrator Jennifer Manalili.
Philippine embassies, along with their labor and OWWA components, have a standing policy of helping any OFW, whether legally deployed or not.
The POEA, on the other hand, is limited to helping only the documented since its role is limited to regulating recruitment or manpower agencies.
Laganzo, meanwhile, escaped from her agency two days later.
She immediately went to the OWWA center in Dubai where support from the Filipino community poured in. [See: OFW escapes recruiter in Dubai, seeks help from RP embassy]
Anakpawis and Migrante then sought the help of Senator Manuel Villar, who is known for helping distressed OFWs, to help in the repatriation of Laganzo.
“Maricar’s family has long been waiting for her repatriation after her ordeal in the Middle East, and we are happy that she has returned safe and whole," said the senator. - GMANews.TV
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
OFW raped, then jailed for adultery in UAE
MANILA, Philippines—An alliance of Filipino worker groups in the Middle East Monday called on the government to come to the aid of a Filipino woman who had complained that she was raped by her employer’s son but who ended up being jailed for adultery in the United Arab Emirates.
Migrante-Middle East said Wilma (not her real name) was languishing in the Ajman Central Jail in Dubai after she was charged with “sleeping with a man.”
“It’s really an unfortunate situation for her. This is usually what happens here to victims of sexual abuse because the perpetrator is clever enough to report the incident to the local police [and claim] that the victim had lured him and slept with him, offering herself, Migrante-Mideast regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona said in a statement e-mailed to the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net).
Monterona, who is based in Saudi Arabia, said Wilma’s plight was brought to Migrante’s attention by her distraught husband, who said she left for Dubai on March 27 after being hired as a hotel chambermaid.
The group passed on the information to Philippine Ambassador to UAE Libran Cabactulan.
Wilma had told her husband that she wanted to go home because she was given a job as a domestic, which was not what she expected. In her last text message on April 7, she said she had already told the recruitment agency of her intention to return home, the husband said in his letter to Migrante dated May 8.
Worried after not hearing from her for days, the husband and Wilma’s parents from Piddig, Ilocos Norte, contacted Wilma’s recruiter, the Manila-based Marvic Overseas Placement Agency.
On April 27, the agency informed the husband that Wilma had been raped by the son of her Arab employer.
“The agency said she was jailed because of ‘lying that she was raped,’ and that a medical exam proved [that she was not raped],” the husband said.
That night, he said, a sobbing Wilma finally contacted him using a pre-paid mobile phone, saying she was neglected by the agency. She confirmed that she was raped.
“We want to know what really happened to her and the status of her case. And more importantly, we want her brought back to the Philippines safe,” he said.
The husband also told Migrante that Wilma was scheduled to be arraigned without the benefit of a lawyer.
“In behalf of the husband and the family of Wilma, we are calling the attention of Philippine embassy officials to provide the needed assistance, most importantly, the hiring of a lawyer for her defense,” Monterona said.
Meanwhile, a Hong Kong-based migrants’ welfare advocacy group said 17 Filipino workers at a palm oil plantation in Sabah, Malaysia, had called for help because deductions from their already-measly salaries had put them in debt bondage.
The Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) said it relayed the plight of the Sabah OFWs to the Philippine embassy in Kuala Lumpur on April 29 but received no response. - Jerome Aning, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Posted date: May 12, 2009
Migrante-Middle East said Wilma (not her real name) was languishing in the Ajman Central Jail in Dubai after she was charged with “sleeping with a man.”
“It’s really an unfortunate situation for her. This is usually what happens here to victims of sexual abuse because the perpetrator is clever enough to report the incident to the local police [and claim] that the victim had lured him and slept with him, offering herself, Migrante-Mideast regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona said in a statement e-mailed to the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net).
Monterona, who is based in Saudi Arabia, said Wilma’s plight was brought to Migrante’s attention by her distraught husband, who said she left for Dubai on March 27 after being hired as a hotel chambermaid.
The group passed on the information to Philippine Ambassador to UAE Libran Cabactulan.
Wilma had told her husband that she wanted to go home because she was given a job as a domestic, which was not what she expected. In her last text message on April 7, she said she had already told the recruitment agency of her intention to return home, the husband said in his letter to Migrante dated May 8.
Worried after not hearing from her for days, the husband and Wilma’s parents from Piddig, Ilocos Norte, contacted Wilma’s recruiter, the Manila-based Marvic Overseas Placement Agency.
On April 27, the agency informed the husband that Wilma had been raped by the son of her Arab employer.
“The agency said she was jailed because of ‘lying that she was raped,’ and that a medical exam proved [that she was not raped],” the husband said.
That night, he said, a sobbing Wilma finally contacted him using a pre-paid mobile phone, saying she was neglected by the agency. She confirmed that she was raped.
“We want to know what really happened to her and the status of her case. And more importantly, we want her brought back to the Philippines safe,” he said.
The husband also told Migrante that Wilma was scheduled to be arraigned without the benefit of a lawyer.
“In behalf of the husband and the family of Wilma, we are calling the attention of Philippine embassy officials to provide the needed assistance, most importantly, the hiring of a lawyer for her defense,” Monterona said.
Meanwhile, a Hong Kong-based migrants’ welfare advocacy group said 17 Filipino workers at a palm oil plantation in Sabah, Malaysia, had called for help because deductions from their already-measly salaries had put them in debt bondage.
The Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) said it relayed the plight of the Sabah OFWs to the Philippine embassy in Kuala Lumpur on April 29 but received no response. - Jerome Aning, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Posted date: May 12, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Dubai tower now world's tallest free-standing structure
Agence France-Presse at Inquirer.Net
Posted date: September 13, 2007
DUBAI -- The world's tallest building, still under construction in the booming Gulf emirate of Dubai, has become the world's tallest free-standing structure, its developers said on Thursday.
The Burj Dubai tower is now 555 meters (1,831.5 feet) tall and has surpassed the 553-metre- (1,824.9-feet) CN Tower in Toronto, Canada, which held the record for the world's tallest free-standing structure since 1976, developers Emaar Properties said in a statement.
The skyscraper, being built by South Korea's Samsung and set for completion at the end of next year, is one of several mega projects taking shape in Dubai, which is part of the United Arab Emirates.
The statement did not reveal the tower's final projected height or its final number of storeys, which Emaar has kept secret since launching the project in January 2004.
The developer announced in July that Burj Dubai, Arabic for Dubai Tower, had exceeded Taiwan's Taipei 101 which is 508 meters (1,676.4 feet) tall, to become the tallest building in the world.
Posted date: September 13, 2007
DUBAI -- The world's tallest building, still under construction in the booming Gulf emirate of Dubai, has become the world's tallest free-standing structure, its developers said on Thursday.
The Burj Dubai tower is now 555 meters (1,831.5 feet) tall and has surpassed the 553-metre- (1,824.9-feet) CN Tower in Toronto, Canada, which held the record for the world's tallest free-standing structure since 1976, developers Emaar Properties said in a statement.
The skyscraper, being built by South Korea's Samsung and set for completion at the end of next year, is one of several mega projects taking shape in Dubai, which is part of the United Arab Emirates.
The statement did not reveal the tower's final projected height or its final number of storeys, which Emaar has kept secret since launching the project in January 2004.
The developer announced in July that Burj Dubai, Arabic for Dubai Tower, had exceeded Taiwan's Taipei 101 which is 508 meters (1,676.4 feet) tall, to become the tallest building in the world.
No dancing in public in Dubai--report
Agence France-Presse
Inquirer.net
Posted date: March 14, 2009
DUBAI -- Playing loud music, dancing, nudity, kissing and even holding hands in public is considered inappropriate behavior under new guidelines laid down by the authorities of Dubai, a report said Saturday.
Arabic-language daily Al Emarat Al-Youm said the Dubai Executive Council had urged residents of Dubai, where foreigners make up more than 80 percent of the population, to respect the customs of the Muslim majority country and avoid inappropriate behavior.
The rules, which apply to all public places, include a ban on all forms of nudity, playing music loudly and dancing, exchange of kisses between men and women -- and even on unmarried couples holding hands.
Any breach of the guidelines, by nationals or expatriates, carries a possible prison penalty, the paper said.
The guidelines also stipulate that anyone caught under the influence of alcohol -- even small amounts -- outside designated drinking areas is liable to being fined or imprisoned, the paper added.
Dubai, a member of the seven-emirate United Arab Emirates, has a diverse culture as it is home to a foreign population made up mainly of low-skilled workers from Asia and Western professionals.
Unlike most of its neighbors in the conservative Gulf region, the emirate tolerates a relatively relaxed dress code and hosts dozens of hotels that have bars and clubs, where alcohol is legally served.
However, a series of incidents, including crackdowns on cross dressers and the expulsion of two British expatriates found guilty of having sex on the beach, has thrown into the limelight the sometimes clashing local and foreign cultures.
Inquirer.net
Posted date: March 14, 2009
DUBAI -- Playing loud music, dancing, nudity, kissing and even holding hands in public is considered inappropriate behavior under new guidelines laid down by the authorities of Dubai, a report said Saturday.
Arabic-language daily Al Emarat Al-Youm said the Dubai Executive Council had urged residents of Dubai, where foreigners make up more than 80 percent of the population, to respect the customs of the Muslim majority country and avoid inappropriate behavior.
The rules, which apply to all public places, include a ban on all forms of nudity, playing music loudly and dancing, exchange of kisses between men and women -- and even on unmarried couples holding hands.
Any breach of the guidelines, by nationals or expatriates, carries a possible prison penalty, the paper said.
The guidelines also stipulate that anyone caught under the influence of alcohol -- even small amounts -- outside designated drinking areas is liable to being fined or imprisoned, the paper added.
Dubai, a member of the seven-emirate United Arab Emirates, has a diverse culture as it is home to a foreign population made up mainly of low-skilled workers from Asia and Western professionals.
Unlike most of its neighbors in the conservative Gulf region, the emirate tolerates a relatively relaxed dress code and hosts dozens of hotels that have bars and clubs, where alcohol is legally served.
However, a series of incidents, including crackdowns on cross dressers and the expulsion of two British expatriates found guilty of having sex on the beach, has thrown into the limelight the sometimes clashing local and foreign cultures.
Duped drivers from Dubai to file class suit
Case readied vs recruitment agency, lending firms
By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
Reporter
INQUIRER.net
Posted date: May 06, 2009
MANILA, Philippines—The Filipino drivers who have returned home from Dubai after being fooled by their recruitment agency are preparing a class suit against the agency and the lending firms responsible for making them incur up to P1.9 million in debt each.
Lawyer Reynaldo Robles, legal counsel of the drivers, said they would file the class suit within the week to ask the court to nullify the agreement of the drivers with the lending firms.
In a phone interview, Robles said that while the original placement fee was only P150,000, the lending firms are now demanding P1.9 million from each driver.
“The court should nullify the checks that the drivers have signed because in the first place they didn’t even know what they were signing,” he said.
The first batch of 40 drivers out of the total 141 who went to Dubai, who are now in the country, will represent the group in the class suit against the recruitment agency CYM International Services and the lending firms now going after the workers, including Asia United Bank (AUB), Paramount Life Insurance and General Insurance Corp., HQR Technical Insurance Agency Inc., and RJJ Lacaba Financing Corp.
At the Ayes and Nays news forum in Quezon City, Representative Jonathan de la Cruz of Abakada party list said officials of the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency should also be suspended for allowing CYM to recruit workers and then duping them.
He said the permit of the CYM should be cancelled so it could no longer operate and victimize more Filipinos going abroad.
By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
Reporter
INQUIRER.net
Posted date: May 06, 2009
MANILA, Philippines—The Filipino drivers who have returned home from Dubai after being fooled by their recruitment agency are preparing a class suit against the agency and the lending firms responsible for making them incur up to P1.9 million in debt each.
Lawyer Reynaldo Robles, legal counsel of the drivers, said they would file the class suit within the week to ask the court to nullify the agreement of the drivers with the lending firms.
In a phone interview, Robles said that while the original placement fee was only P150,000, the lending firms are now demanding P1.9 million from each driver.
“The court should nullify the checks that the drivers have signed because in the first place they didn’t even know what they were signing,” he said.
The first batch of 40 drivers out of the total 141 who went to Dubai, who are now in the country, will represent the group in the class suit against the recruitment agency CYM International Services and the lending firms now going after the workers, including Asia United Bank (AUB), Paramount Life Insurance and General Insurance Corp., HQR Technical Insurance Agency Inc., and RJJ Lacaba Financing Corp.
At the Ayes and Nays news forum in Quezon City, Representative Jonathan de la Cruz of Abakada party list said officials of the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency should also be suspended for allowing CYM to recruit workers and then duping them.
He said the permit of the CYM should be cancelled so it could no longer operate and victimize more Filipinos going abroad.
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