Hear their stories:
Rose
INTRODUCTION
I have been here for 22 years. I come here because I am a single mother. I need to have work to provide for my children so that’s why I help my family back in the Philippines. I’ve been volunteering at HOME's help desk for almost 3 years. Nobody asked me to volunteer actually. I was the one who called and told them I want to volunteer. When they asked - why do you want to do this. I told them that because I know that I can help. I know that I can listen and I can relate to my fellow domestic workers and I know I can talk to them. So that urged me. We come here every Sunday,on our off-days. Sometimes we have on-call help, so Sundays we come here but on weekdays we just answer the calls from domestic workers who need advices or help.
FDW CHALLENGES
The most common problem that we handle here is abuse. So normally it’s verbal, physical abuse. Verbal abuse is when domestic workers are scolded by employers - you will hear all the bad words, words that really make them feel down - like the worst words you can tell to a human being. Physical abuse is when they start hitting the domestic workers.
HER MESSAGE
You know, last time when I was not a volunteer, I didn’t see the problem much. When you’re a volunteer you see that these things are really happening. What I saw around my neighbourhood before in my neighbourhood is just a bit of what really domestic workers are experiencing - like the bad experiences.
I always tell this when people who ask me - Just be nice to us. Because you know, in our mind before we come here, before we leave our country - in our mind, “we need to be nice to people, we need to do our job properly, we need to prepare ourselves for our work here.” So we don't intend to hurt anyone or to be mean to our employers. So that’s what we want - we are set to be nice to be people here. That’s why I am asking for them to be nice to us and to treat us as a human being too. Don’t treat us like a slave. Because most of us here experience that.
FOREIGN DOMESTIC WORKERS
Ruby
INTRODUCTION
I’ve been in Singapore for 23-24 years. I came here to help my family back home. And to save some money for myself. I've been volunteering at HOME for approximately 8 years.I found out about HOME from a friend. Since we asked a domestic worker in trouble to come here to run away, from then I communicate with the help-desk volunteers too and we became friends. From then, I just decided to help. So I can help others also.
FDW CHALLENGES
When I first came to Singapore, I was illegally deployed. Since it was my first time, I don’t know if it’s illegal, so I just started working and someone I think reported it to MOM. So MOM came to check with us and they found out that we’re working there. So they caught us. Since I didn’t have a work permit them for the days I worked, they sent me to the police station and I stayed there for a night and they interrogated me in MOM.
At the help desk, it’s the stories of the sexual abuse. I didn’t realise that there are cases that are happening like that. It’s unusual that employers would do that to the helper. And one thing is the beating - when physical abuse. Because you can see on their bodies that they have been abused. And it’s quite depressing that you can see them come here cry, but when they run away, it’s quite happy also. If they run away already and the following Sunday they come and visit us, they have a happy face. At least, we have the feeling that we did help them a lot. Their stress and their physical abuse with their employer, you can see that there are changes when they run away. They know that someone is there to help them
HER MESSAGE
They should be more human to others. Because we are humans too. And they should treat us also like a human. Even though we know that there is a barrier that we are helpers and they are the boss, they should think that we are helping them. And they should appreciate that also.
Jenny
INTRODUCTION
I am Indonesian and I’m a domestic worker here in Singapore. I have been working for 7 years almost.I started volunteering in HOME about 6 months ago.I decided to volunteer because I see that a lot of our friends they got help, and I see myself as so much free and I feel useful here than when I go here.When we come together, I feel like here’s my second memory here. I don’t feel like I am alone here, I got a lot of friends and family.I really enjoy and it's very meaningful for me because I can help them also. I can bring a lot of my friends from the first time they become they know their rights and at least now they can find a place where they know where to ask help.
FDW CHALLENGES
Since I’m at the helpdesk, I see some cases of illegal deployment, about salary, some molested or abused. These are some problems I see when I start volunteering at the helpdesk.
Some employers think we are already ready to work, no need to teach us anything. But some of our friends, still unready for that. That’s why got a bit of problem. For a lot of friends - the first time they are working here a lot of problems. One is language, second the daily habit is different and the equipment at home is also very different from what they are used to. Because Indonesians, usually the equipment for cooking and cleaning is completely different and they live on the ground, not on high-rise buildings. That’s most of the problems they got struggle in.
Some of them are not allowed to use phones. So this definitely a bit gap - one they don’t know where to ask for help. They just know how to, if they got problem they can ask MOM, but sometimes don’t also remember. After they come from agency to employer house, the document is on with the employer.
Usually employer keep everything - especially for newcomers. Some employer think if she (domestic worker) keep document - one it will be lost, second is if she mix with her friends and talk talk talk, she will become problem. That's what the employer is thinking.
HER MESSAGE
I really enjoy this country, I feel like this country really like my second country. I feel nowadays Singaporeans are more open to us also. I hope for the future, we can accept and respect each other. So whatever they expect, they can also be more patient to them and learn about their family and their habit and what they do in the house, because every house is different. Even for transferred domestic workers, for them it is difficult to adapt because every house is different and every person in the house is different.
Treat us equally and be patient for us to learn about our duty. So we can be more loving towards the kids, the grandparents. My last employer treat me like friend and family. I don't feel like it's my responsibility anymore, I feel like it's my family. So I should take care of them.
Natalie
INTRODUCTION
I came from Indonesia. I have been working in Singapore for around 11 or 12 years. I’m a single parent so I have to support my two children because like me I come from village and I don’t have a high education so very hard to find job there. In two years, I’ll go back once. I started volunteering at HOME in 2015. I found something here. The rich people can help with the money. I don’t have money. But I have time.I don’t want others to experience the same as me. The more I assisting the domestic worker, the more I listening, the more I want to fight for them.
FDW CHALLENGES
I think because of the rules and the regulations because the employer still has the power even in the regulation. The basic problems are still there: the salary dispute, not enough food, working too much or like overwork sometimes wake up early in the morning until midnight and no rest at all. And there is still a lot of domestic not allowed to hold their handphone also. No day off. Because of the regulation also, even we have a monetary day off every week but there is still option so if you don’t take a day off the employer will give you compensation above the basic salary but that one mostly the agency not told the domestic worker. So they don’t know that this is an option. They only know they have this much salary without day off. So once they come to Singapore, agency tell them that, they can’t do anything, they cannot move back they are just stuck there, follow the rules.
More domestic workers know their right. But newcomers they don’t know. Once she come here she cannot move because she want to cancel she have to pay for the agency fee or everything.They don’t have much choice. Not so easy to say "I cannot work here so I want to transfer to another employer maybe I get a lucky". They have to see the consequence. Let’s say if she is overworked, I still need to ask her so what do you want now? So you want to try to change to another employer or go back to Indonesia? Because she have be ready with the consequences. If you need to transfer, the employer sign release paper, the agency will ask you more money, more deductions, sometimes extra one or two months, depend on the agency. If she go back Indonesia, the agency in Indonesia will go after her then I call the NGO in Indonesia to help her. This is the biggest problem and the common one.
HER MESSAGE
We want domestic workers to be included in the employment act. This is the most important actually. The working hours, give the right for the day off, use the mobile phone for communication. Like now give day off is option. We want it to be compulsory, no option anymore. Because if give option there’s still chance for employer or agency to exploit the domestic because they never know this is option.
We also want to be accepted not only as worker. We know that we are worker. But as a human, don’t discriminate us. Treat us the way other workers in different sector have their rights. The more you respect us as a worker, the more we will respect you. This is the way we proposing. If employer respect us, we will more respect them.