Transcript 'I was a stranger and you made me welcome'

"I was a stranger
and you made me
welcome"
(Matthew24:34-35)
Presented by : Justice and Peace Commission of
the HK Catholic Diocese, July 2011
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Current Situation of the Foreign
Domestic Workers in HK
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270,000 Migrant workers in HK, 98% are women
Mainly Pilipino(49%) & Indonesians(51%)
Immigration Department’s ‘two-weeks rule” policy
Work at least 16 hours a day
Maids earned HK$3,800 a month in 1998 before
the government went on its wage-cutting exercise.
In June 2011, Pay for foreign domestic helpers
goes up by HK$160 to HK$3,740. The 4.5%
increase is their biggest lift in years, though it does
no more than keep pace with inflation.
Additionally, a food allowance was raised by
HK$25, or 3.3%, to HK$775 a month.
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Current Situation of the Foreign
Domestic Workers in HK
Domestic workers with non-domestic
works:
 Foot & Body Massage;
 Gardening, Translation;
 airport pick-up;
 Tutor the children’s homework;
 Part-time shop keeper.
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Social Discrimination
Campaign against permanent
residents right to FDW.
 Accumulated more than 3000
supporters in 2 days.
 Legislator Regina Ip: 2 years contracts
for 2 times renewal
 Protest against the Human Rights
Lawyers.
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Irrational Angers towards
domestic Helpers
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A Day of Sympathy and Reflection, A
Day for Solidarity and Justice
Vicky Casia said some employers have changed their attitudes
toward their helpers.
Leny Galima said her employer was understanding but she
experienced hatred on the street. ``Someone shouted `Filipinos
are rubbish' at me,'' she said. ``I felt bad and sad.''
Lucy Aquino said she tried to hide the fact she was Filipino when she
took her employer's parents to hospital.......
(Standard News, 2010-8-30)
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No Political & Voting rights!
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“Persons not of Chinese nationality who
have entered Hong Kong with valid travel
documents, have ordinarily resided in
Hong Kong for a continuous period of not
less than seven years and have taken
Hong Kong as their place of permanent
residence before or after the
establishment of the HKSAR” shall be
declared permanent residents of the city.
But the law not apply to the foreign
domestic workers.
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Excluded from the SMW
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Gi Estrada, Area Coordinator of the Asia Pacific
Mission for Migrants ''We view these
recommendations as unjust, discriminatory and
anti-migrant. In effect it allows employers to let
FDHs work for 16 hours a day as this is the basis
of the board in concluding that they would be
paid HK$12,480 a month. This is slave-like to say
the least and they are on 24-hour call. But more
than that, workers of all nationalities in Hong
Kong and elsewhere should be given wages that
will provide them and their families with a decent
way of living unlike those who adhere to freemarket policies who share the opposite view. ''
(Standard News, 2009-4-14)
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HK Catholic Commission for
Labour Affairs Survey
(June-July 2009)
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Of the 1437 interviewed, only 1.7% works 8
hours a day.
98.3% works over 8 hours
47% works 15 – 20 hours.
3.1% works even more than 20 hours.
The FDWs live and work at the same place.
Hence they may be required by their
employers to stand by on duty and to work
on demand.
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Inadequate Food Allowance
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80.5% FDWs interviewed were provided
with meals from their employers.
16.3% were given food allowance,
however, amongst them, some gets only
$20 food
allowance and 68.4% gets under $300 as
food allowance.
The government has increased the food allowance
from $300 to $740 starting from 2 September 2009,
and $10 increase from August 2010
But the mechanism for the increase, just like the
minimum allowable wage, has not been transparent
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and is without any public consultation.
Shortage of Wages
paid
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The survey shows 26.3% FDWs
interviewed were paid a wage below
$3580, the minimum
allowable wage. Some interviewed were
paid as low as $2580 a month.
Although the survey reflects mostly the
conditions of Catholic Philippine workers,
some surveys on Indonesia and Thai
workers have shown that shortage of wages
paid is also very common among them.
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 Today,
many domestic workers
continue experiencing violations:
rape, verbal and physical
assault, non-payment of wages,
slave-work. In fact, such cases
increase year by year.
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Migration is at times the lesser evil.
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The Church defends the human right to
migrate (CCC, 2241), but she does not
encourage its exercise. She knows, in fact,
that migration has a very high cost, and that
it is always the migrant that has to pay. On
the other hand, she also recognizes that
migration is at times the lesser evil.
The Church does everything she can to
assure that the society of arrival considers
migrants not as means of production but as
persons endowed with the dignity of the
children of God with inalienable rights.
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Charity in Truth
(Caritas in Veritate)
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In his latest encyclical entitled, Charity in Truth (Caritas
in Veritate), Pope Benedict XVI refers to the mass
movement of migrant labour around the world as a fact
of modern life to which far too little attention is paid. He
issues a warning that forces are at work seeking to treat
migrant labour as a simple commodity and as just
another production factor.
“This is a striking phenomenon because of the sheer
numbers of people involved, the social, economic,
political, cultural and religious problems that it raises,
and the dramatic challenges it poses to nations and the
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international community,”
Religious Support
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Weekly Newspaper: Mubuhay
(Complimentary copies attached with the
Sunday Examiner)
Publish on Every Sunday;
Political News and the Church development
in the Philippines
Special Corner for Migrant Workers
Labor News
Spiritual Reflection in both English &
Tagalog
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HK Church Involvement
A Shelter for the Migrants
 The Filipino Catholic Association (FCA) which
is located at the Kowloon Rosary Church has the
longest history since Apr 1958.
 Jesus Is Lord Church (JIL Church) is a Christian
organization that originates in the Philippines
 Mass Service in Tagalog and in English
 Diocesan Commission for Pastoral Services to
Filipino Migrants– Bishop John Tong as the
Chairperson since 1994
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Diocesan Pastoral Centre
for Filipinos
(and other Asian Migrants and Ethnic Minorities)
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Out-Reach Services: Hospital Visits, Prison Visits,
Parish Visits.
Networking and Linkages : Philippines Consulate,
Indonesian consulate, Columbian Consulate, Mission for
Filipino Migrant Workers…
Employer Supportive Service: Promote mutual
understanding and harmony between foreign domestic
helpers and Hong Kong employers;
Victims Supportive Services
Shelter Service : Accommodations for pre-maturely
terminated and completed contract, migrants with health
problem and migrants in distress.
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Caritas HK
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Hotline Service - basic informations on
community services
Counseling services – marital, parent-child and
employer-employee relationship
Education Programs – orientations, labor laws
etc
Training programs – Language, domestic
works
Cultural exchange programs - traditional
festival celebration
Community education for local peoples
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We are together as one!
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Joint Declaration against all kind of abuses against
Foreign Domestic Workers;
Protest action against Levy, wage cut, exclusion of SMW,
placement fees, Two-weeks rule…
Constant Articles and Newsletter on the Situation of
FDW;
Financial Support to Shelters and Cultural programs
among the migrants
Conducted In-depth research on the migration problems
Response on the Human rights situation of the sending
countries.
Public education and advocacy work within the Church.
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Say NO to Discrimination
3000 copies of Booklet on “Population
Policy 2003”
 Flyers against the discrimination of
Domestic Workers, and the exclusion of
SMW;
 Submission in the LegCo;
 Solidarity vigil after the hostage incident;
 July 1st Rally, May Day Rally etc.
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The more we involved..
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The more we become involved, the
more we have realized that there are
rampant cases of violation of human
rights, sexual harassment / exploitation,
denial of justice & freedom and there is
an urgent need to act to bring about
change in the present scenario.
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“Do not mistreat
foreigners living in your
country,34 but treat them
just as you treat your own
citizens. Love foreigners as
you love yourselves,
because you were
foreigners one time in
Egypt. I am the Lord your
God.”
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Leviticus 19:33-34