Women in Violent Relationships

What is Love? Websters dictionary defines love as a strong, deep

affection. Many of those who are or have been in love can
definitely agree with that. My definition for love is all of earths
surroundings that make one feel good or happy; to me, love is not
just love towards another, but it is also love towards something
beyond. Everyone knows that love is a beautiful thing to
experience: it feels like all the happiness in the world is in your
hands and you could never be happier. But what happens, coming
from a womans perspective, when your husband uses that love
as a weapon against you? What if he raised his hands against his
woman, bruising his hands so that they started to swell up? Well,
that is the case in many womens lives around the world who are
torn apart in a war between fighting for love and fighting for
survival. Many people debate about whether or not love is blind; in
these terrible acts of domestic strife, love is blind and blinding.
Love becomes blind when people, especially in violent
relationships, tend to avoid the truth.

Its true how love can bring pleasure and bliss in anyones life and
that it motivates people to achieve many things, but love can also
blind them. Being blind, in this case, means that someone is
unable or unwilling to perceive or understand. When a woman is
brutally beaten by the husband she loves, she fails to see all the
harm he has done to her physically and emotionally. Many
reasons for this are probable. For one thing, she fixates only on
the positives such as all the materials goods he has provided or
the generous acts he has performed for her. She sees that he has
a well-paying job that keeps a roof over their heads and food in
their stomachs, or, that they have kids together. The only reason
she lives with her hopeless plight is because she wants her
children to grow up with a father figure still in their lives. Author
Rabbi Julius Gordon once said, Love is not blind, it sees more,
not less. But because it sees more, it is willing to see less. But
doesnt love if it wants to see less, cause itself to be blind? In my
opinion, it does. Because her love overlooks all the wrong hes
doing, it is choosing to be blind. But is not love supposed to be
beautiful? Is not love supposed to make someone happy? If so,
why are so many women pulling back from getting help and from
doing something about their situations as victims? Many of these
unfortunate women know what the outcome would be if they tried
to do something about their situations. For a battered woman,
because she knows what will happen, she chooses to turn away
from seeking help. Women in situations like these are neglecting
to see the truth. Love is blind if the person in love is refusing to
see the things that are going wrong or hurting the relationship. In
the Holy Bible, 1 Corinthians, Chapter 13 verse 6, states, It (love)
does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.

On cable TV there is a channel called Lifetime Movie Network; for

those who do not know, it is a womans movie channel. Here they
show many movies about different situations that women undergo.
Some of these movies are joyous, and some movies end in
tragedy. There are some about young women who marry abusive
men. Unluckily for these women, their men have never revealed
their true selves until after they were wedded. These battered and
bruised women refuse to see the truth about their husbands; they
are unwilling to see. They refuse to leave them because he did
not mean to or he loves me and it was just an accident; but then
again that was not the first time he had beat on her. These women
seem not to have the strength to leave their husbands. Therefore,
love is making them weak. Women in situations, such as these,
tend to avoid the truth; the truth is the unthinkable reality of love
betrayed. These women refuse to see the truth and choose not to
accept it because the truth may leave them with nothing. It hurts
her to see herself in that position so she refuses to acknowledge
the existence of her reality instead of taking actions that will allow
her to discover her potential and control her destiny.

My mother has a friend with whom she grew up. Her friend got
married and had four kids with this man. Over the years of this
womans relationship, her husband verbally and physically abused
her and their children. No one really knew what was going on
because she never said anything to anyone, not even my mother.
All everyone knew was that she would mysteriously have these
bruises on her arms, face, and body. It wasnt until sixteen years
into the relationship when she finally found the strength to leave
him. She told my mother what was going on, but my mother
already had an idea of what was happening. My mothers friend
took her husband to court for a divorce and received full custody
of their children.

Romantic love can blind a person, but no one can easily tell or
justify if this infatuation is real love when a person is swept away
at point blank. Because of how our longings and hopes can blind
us in love, we must compensate by never losing sight of ones
individuality and by always being true to oneself. My mothers
friend took sixteen years to realize her big picture. It was hard to
see because the truth can hurt and humans can so easily deny
truth in the name of love, even when the truth is right in our faces.
It takes time to realize the obvious: in order to find love, one must
live in truth first.

Sex Tourism in the Philippines

In the recent years, tourism proves to be one of the major

contributors to the economy of the Philippines. Main attractions for
foreign tourists supposedly are the famous islands and beaches
found throughout in the country though apparently these arent the
only attractions why foreign men pay to visit the Philippines now
these days.
These other so called attractions are Filipinas working as
prostitutes. Though it may not be that surprising anymore, since
the Philippines is ranked as the 4th among the top ten countries to
have the highest number of prostitutes in the world. As of 2009, it
was estimated to have over 800,000 Filipinas working as
prostitutes with some of them being under aged minors
(Yrasuegui, M. & Esselborn, P., 2009)
The sex tourism industry is seen almost everywhere in the
country but then there is a place described by foreign men where
it is almost impossible not to get laid, and that place at Fields
Avenue in Angeles City, the so called number one entertainment
capital of the Philippines, famous for its numerous bars , casinos,
brothels.
The sex industry in the area originated in the World War II when
the U.S. Military station, Clark Air base was located near the area.
This was the start of the opening of numerous bars and the
appearance of working prostitutes although at the start of the
1900's, the Mount Pinatubo erupted and destroyed most of the
Clark Air base; it was then closed down soon after. Even with the
Americans gone though, the industry was still left behind and has
continued to thrive and grow larger up to the present.

This is the cruel industry that a Flipina prostitute named Mila

Zamora struggles with to get by. Mila is a prostitute who works in
a small bar called Heaven at blowjob alley located at Fields
Avenue. She is from the province of Pangasinan , the 5th oldest
child out of 10 siblings and has only reached up to grade 6 for her
education. Due her family's dire living conditions, Mila at the age
of 12 was sent to work in Manila as a housemaid. A few years
later she was then recruited to work for a factory at Angels City.
Upon arriving in a bar in Angeles City, the woman that recruited
her then disappeared; the woman had probably tricked her.
Having no money and options left, Mila grudgingly accepted
having to work as a prostitute to afford some cash to feed her
family.
She temporarily resides in the dark backroom of the bar where
she shares it with her best friend and also a prostitute, Beth and
their mamasan or pimp, Shirley. Mila is expected to work at 10
a.m. up to 4 a.m.in the morning usually. Her salary is only up to
P500-700 pesos per night since she only receives half the price
from the bar fine although this only happens when a customer
rents her for a night. Blowjobs and other sexual favor only reaches
up to P200 and even lower. All of the customers are usually
foreign men. Men from all over the world come visit here to have a
good time, drink cheap beer and more often than not buy even
cheaper women. Old or young, attractive or not any of those
qualities doesn't matter in Fields Avenue, here their money gives
them power and status.

Mila is only one of the many young Filipina women working as a

prostitute due to poverty and has to work to send some money to
their family back home in their provinces. Most of these women
have given upon leaving the industry and think that their only
hope left is to attract and possibly marry a rich foreigner in the
hopes of being rescued from this kind of life.
One could even say a girl like Mila is even better off than others
considering her living situation and salary. Some girls are tricked
and lured out of their provinces by several pimps by offering them
some good paying jobs and alike but then only to be sold off in
sex slave camps and to be forced to have sex with customers
without any salary at all. At worst cases, even under aged minors
are recruited regularly since virgins seems to sell at a higher price
in the market not to mention some of the customers seems to
prefer younger little girls than older ones.
Sex slave camps are nothing new in the city; these girls compared
to other prostitutes are treated and abused even more horribly.
They are even forced to sleep in small dingy and dirty rooms all
together. The usual number of customers they receive in a day
can reach to about 20 and yet they are given almost nothing in
return, even the food they receive is minimal. They are also
expected to take in customers even when they are sick and in
result some unfortunate ones get infected with Sexually
transmitted diseases like AIDS and HIV.
The ones who cant continue to work anymore are to be ridden off
usually. Theres an area there now known as the Killing Fields of
Angeles where the bodies of dead prostitutes are dumped and
burned by the gangs involved in the sex slave camps. There are
also a couple of issues about some of the government officials
assisting these gangs for some money by removing the traces left
by the victim like their birth records and the like, making it seem
that these women never existed at all.

Prostitution is of course illegal in the Philippines but with such a

large and influential industry such as this the government has yet
to find a solution to this dilemma. The sex tourism industry in
Fields Avenue cannot be eradicated that easily for the reasons
that it is possible that some government officials are also involved
in the trade and since tourism provides a large contribution to the
countrys economy, it would be rather problematic if the number of
tourists were to suddenly lessen if they are to close it down. So
along with these obstacles and possible effects, the government
and the police then are placed in a tight situation on how they are
expected to clear up this kind of problem. In the end, the only
thing they government can do is to merely tolerate the growing
sex tourism industry in Fields Avenue, Angeles City.
The government did provide some assistance to help better the
situation for these Filipina prostitutes. Some government facilities
like the Angeles City Reproductive Health and Wellness Center
are created with the objective of establishing care and support
programs for people with HIV/AIDS and serve as resource center
on HIV/AIDS-related concerns for the community. Prostitutes
between 480 and 600 in number come for a routine weekly smear
check up daily but even with these check ups there is still the
lingering danger of an HIV/AIDS outbreak in the near future. Also,
a lot of seminars about sex education are being conducted by the
government to help aware the people in the area the dangers in
working as a prostitute to prevent their rise in numbers.
Recently at the year 2012, a United Nations report has suggested
legalizing prostitution as a way of preventing the possible
outbreak of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Asia and the Pacific.
The report was titled Sex Work and the Law in Asia and the
Pacific and according to that report, removing legal penalties for
sex work allows HIV prevention and treatment programs to reach
sex workers and their clients more effectively. The proposal was
rejected by the government though since the main problem,
poverty would still exist and the Catholic Church disapproves of
the idea.

In the end, there is still no progress of fully eradicating the thriving

sex tourism industry at Fields Avenue. Merely tolerating the
industry is still the best options it seems, even if the Philippine
government cannot abolish this industry yet then it would be for
the best to at least further aware the working prostitutes to avoid
further risks of contracting a disease. Lucky ones can retire early
while the unfortunate ones die before they even reach adulthood.
Youth and health of a person cannot stay unchanged too after all.
A day will come that they will be too old to work at a bar and if that
time comes then what will be left of them then? The two choices
they will be left with are to live poverty again or become a
mamasan or rather a pimp for the younger girls at the bar. Both
choices dont really do much of a change even after the hardships
they have endured in the industry. They have restarted again,
having nothing and living the end of their lives without even
achieving anything.

Works Cited

Ralston, M. (Producer & Director). (2007). Selling Sex in Heaven:

[Documentary]. Canada: Ralston Productions.
Horlador, I. R. (2012, October 27). Gabriela says no to legalization
of prostitution. Bulatlat. Retrieved from http://www.bulatlat.com.
(2012, October 22). Philippine women's group slams UN
recommendation to legalize prostitution. Xinhua. Retrieved from
http:// news.xinhuanet.com.
Yrasuegui, M. & Esselborn, P. Philippines: Women struggling to
achieve sexual equality, Deutsche Welle, December 1, 2009.
Brass. M. (2004).The Modern Scourge of Sex Slavery. Soldier of
Fortune Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.military.com
Orejas, T. (2008, March 25). Sisters Plus aids Angeles sex
workers. Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved from
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/

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Culture affects Domestic Violence
Domestic violence is the act of violence or abuse against a
person living in ones household, especially a member of ones
immediate family (Dictionary.com). I believe that domestic
violence is affected by culture. In many communities, domestic
violence is not a big topic, but to many women in different
cultures; it is an event many women deal with everyday. Domestic
violence is more common in other cultures and culture can affect
womens rights. Throughout many cultures around the world,
domestic violence is present among their communities, and even
the domestic violence rate in America is higher than other cultures
that have respect for womens rights, such as Spain. In foreign
cultures there is a higher domestic violence rate, such as the
Philippines.
Culture to me is the way a person acts based on the beliefs that
have been taught to a person by their family while growing up.
Peoples actions today are based on how they were raised. The
culture in the Philippines is very different then the culture in
America. Women in the Philippine culture are treated very
different from the American cultures. The domestic violence rate
in the Philippines is becoming a serious problem throughout the
country (U.S. Department of State). Many men in the Philippines
feel as if their wives have no say over anything that goes on in the
household. Many men in the Philippines feel they are beholden to
control their wives. Women have a stereotype that they are to be
inferior to the men in the culture. In the culture this is what many
men think is acceptable in society. This is a leading cause of
domestic violence. Some men say that it will never happen again,
but abuse is more likely to occur after it has happened one time
before. Women who are in violent relationships keep the signs
and symptoms uncharted from the eyes of family and friends.
Domestic violence is caused from the way Philippine men were
raised to relegate the women in their home. Also, women who are
living through domestic violence feel they have lost all of their
rights.
In places such as the Philippines, where women have fewer rights
than women in America there is a high presence of domestic
violence. When the country that a woman lives in doesnt
acknowledge that their rights are being violated, some may feel
like they cant avoid domestic violence. Young girls who are
exposed to domestic violence have a greater chance of becoming
involved in an abusive relationship when they are older (Safe
horizon). The women in the Philippines go through physical,
emotional, and sexual abuse. Many women are beat and sexually
abused, mostly from their husbands. There are a number of
reasons why they go through the abuse, a few are that they
cannot get away from the abuse, they feel they arent worthy of
anything better, or they think it is normal for the abuse to occur.
Womens rights in the Philippines are not respected as the mens
rights are (U.S. Department of State). The women living in cities
in the Philippines formed the Philippine Women Commission
(PWC) to help women who are suffering from domestic violence
and abuse from men (U.S. Department of State). In the
Philippines culture the women look as though they are inferior to
the men in their society. There are organizations in America that
are trying to help the women in the Philippines. In other countries
there are organizations to help women affected by domestic
violence.
In some English cultures and Hispanic cultures there is a high
respect for women, but there is still domestic violence throughout
their communities. Some people say that countries with a low
respect for women have a higher rate of domestic violence, but
they are misinformed because domestic violence is present in
every community, every country, and in every type of culture in the
world. One in four women will experience domestic violence in
their lifetime (Safe Horizon). Domestic violence victims are found
throughout many cultures. There are many different organizations
around the world that help women in situations where they are
being abused. Women around the world want to be free of
oppression and domestic violence. According to the (national
network to end domestic violence), in 2012 about 64,324
domestic violence victims received help from organizations
dealing with domestic violence. There is even domestic violence
in our own country, and women here have more rights than most
women do in other countries. In Spain, there have been an
increasing number of domestic violence cases each year (Tumbit,
2013). America has many organizations that are helping women
who have experienced domestic violence regain their confidence
and move forward with their life. The Prime Minister Jose Luis
Rodriguez Zapatero of Spain has made fighting domestic violence
one of his top priorities (BBC NEWS). Zapatero has implemented
a Zero Tolerance for the perpetrators in domestic violence
(DW.DE). In Spain in 2010, 73 women died by the hands of their
partners, which is substantial amount less than the statistics in
2010 for America. Culture does have an effect on the domestic
violence rate because the domestic violence rates in the
Philippines are much higher than America.
Edouard Manet once said: The attacks of which I have been the
object have broken the spring of life in me People dont realize
what it feels like to be constantly insulted. Domestic violence
affects many women in many different cultures. Culture does
affect the amount of domestic violence cases in many countries.
Domestic violence is a terrible thing that happens to many women
in certain cultures around the world, and should be a top priority
to stop. Countries that have a low respect for womens right have
a higher percent of domestic violence cases. Domestic violence is
present throughout the world, and it could even be happening to
many individuals loved ones. The domestic violence rate in
America is higher than other cultures that have respect for
womens rights, such as Spain. Do you know how common
domestic violence is in your culture?

Works Cited
"2010 Human Rights Report: Philippines." U.S. Department of
State. U.S. Department of State, 8 Apr. 2011. Web. 18 Nov.
2013. .
"At the end of myselfat the feet of Jesus: What abuse has
marred, Jesus can make new." At the end of myselfat the feet of
Jesus What abuse has marred Jesus can make new. N.p., n.d.
Web. 20 Nov. 2013. .
"Capital Area 24 hour Crisis Line: (225) 389-3001 or 1 (800) 541-
9706." Domestic Violence Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov.
2013. .
"Domestic Violence Statistics." Domestic Violence Statistics. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .
"Domestic Violence: Statistics & Facts." Safe Horizon ::. N.p., n.d.
Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .
"Domestic violence in Spain on the rise." Tumbit.com. N.p., n.d.
Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .
"NC Summary." National Network to end domestic violence. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .
NYTIMES. "Spain Struggles to Tackle Domestic Violence."
Nytimes.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .
"National Summary." National Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov.
2013. .
"Philippine Commission on Women." Statistics on violence
against Filipino women. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .
"Spain Tackles Domestic Violence." DW.DE. N.p., n.d. Web. 20
Nov. 2013. .
"Spain hits back at abuse culture ." BBC News. BBC, 11 Oct.
2004. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. .

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Child Domestic Workers in the Philippines
Child Domestic Workers in the Philippines

Introduction

I wake up at 3am to water the plants, clean the house, go to

market, cook, wash the plates, wash the clothes, iron the clothes.
I return to the market three times a day. From 5pm to 9pm, they
allow me to go to school. When I return, I have to wash the
dishes, then I massage both my male and female employer until
1am. I only have two hours to sleep. This is how a girl from
Buikidnon, Philippines described her experience with child labour
to Anti-Slavery International researchers. She is a former child
domestic worker who entered domestic work at nine years old,
enduring her employers abuse.

Children are considered the future of our countries, with their own
rights, especially to education. However, as seen by this story, this
is simply not the case everywhere. While we are living in the 21st
century many people simply assume that slavery is a thing of the
past, especially child labour, but as you will see, this is far from
the truth.
According to Anti-Slavery International, a child domestic worker is
defined as any person under the age of eighteen who works in
households other than their own, doing domestic chores, caring
for children, tending the garden, running errands and helping their
employers run their small businesses, amongst other tasks.

It is near impossible for these children to claim their own rights,

instead they are exploited and their freedom taken from them.

The Victims

While there are many reasons as to why children enter the world
of domestic work, the main reason always seems to come back to
the fact that they need to support and sustain themselves and
their families financially and no education or qualifications are
required. Children will also voluntarily start work as a domestic
worker in order to escape domestic violence or from a sense of
duty to their parents.

In many cultures, domestic work is seen as safe. It is even seen

as normal that young girls enter into domestic work, as it is useful
preparation for their later life when they will look after their own
home. With suitable working conditions, usually seen as better
than their current living situations at home, and better
opportunities, especially for education, the girls enter into
domestic work with high hopes. However, this is often not the
case and child domestic workers are instead subject to
exceptionally long days, unsatisfactory living conditions, a lack of
education (even if they were previously promised it) and sexual
and physical abuse. In the Philippines, domestic work can even
be a lure to entice these girls across borders and into worse forms
of labour, such as prostitution.

In 2012, the ILO produced Global Estimates on Forced Labour.

This report shows that 17.2 million children are in paid or unpaid
domestic work in the home of a third party or employer and that
65.1% of all child domestic workers are below 14 years with 7.4
million aged 5 to 11 and 3.8 million aged 12 to 14 (International
Labour Organization, 2013). The average entry age for this work
is between nine and fourteen years of age, with some girls as
young as seven. There are more girls under the age of sixteen in
domestic work than any other type of work. Because the majority
of people entering into these roles are females, it is not viewed as
proper work so therefore outside the labour legislation. As a
result, these girls often become invisible and are marginalized
both economically and socially.

While many child domestic workers are not allowed to go to

school, some are promised an education when they begin their
roles, but because they only have verbal agreements, it often
does not come to fruition. If the children are allowed to go to
school, attending is often seen as time off work and not only are
they are still required to work once they return home but this is
considered their time off, so therefore they do not receive any
proper days off during their working week. In addition, these long
days make it impossible for them to keep up with their schoolwork.
They are automatically discriminated against by their peers and
teachers and are not expected to do as well as the other students,
they are simply expected to merely survive. Because of this, child
domestic workers are simply made to feel separated and excluded
from the class, causing low expectations of themselves and in
turn, low self-esteem.

Child domestic workers are also often controlled and isolated from
their family and friends. Many employers will not allow visits and
those that do tend to discourage them. Also, many child domestic
workers simply do not get paid as their accommodation and food
is seen as enough. As a result, many domestic workers end up
prostituting themselves simply to get enough money to eat.

The continuous discrimination and isolation is in their opinion the

hardest part of their burden.
In a nutshell, these girls are exceptionally dependent on their
employers for their basic needs and their survival. Most
employers truly think they are helping them, not exploiting them.

International Community Actions

There are many different organisations, both governmental and

nongovernmental, that are contributing to the fight against child
labour. These organisations range from The International Labour
Organization to the Visayan Forum Foundation and SUMAPI, to
name only a few of the vast array of organisations involved in
eliminating child labour.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is made up of various

Governments, trade unions, and employers organizations, who
work toward providing equal employment opportunities for all
those employed. They accomplish this by bringing together
governments, employers and workers to set labour standards and
develop policies, ensuring both employers and workers have an
equal say (International Labour Organization, 2013).

On the 16th of June 2011, the ILOs new labour Convention No.
189, Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers,
established the first global standards for domestic workers
worldwide. This convention ensures that domestic workers have
the same rights as those available to other workers, such as a rest
of at least 24 consecutive hours every week, and reasonable
hours of work (Global March Against Child Labour, 2010). The
Philippines ratified the convention in August 2012, bringing this
international treaty into legal force in the Philippines (The
Philippine Star, 2012).

Convention No. 189 compliments Conventions No. 138, the

Minimum Age Convention, 1973 and No. 182, the Worst Forms of
Child Labour Convention, 1999. The ultimate objective of
Convention No. 138 is to abolish all forms of child labour, while
Convention No. 182 sets out to combat the worst forms of child
labour as a priority target (International Labour Organization,
2011). In 1992, the ILO also created the International Programme
on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC). The IPEC is grounded
in the above Conventions and aims to increase countries ability to
deal with, and combat child labour (International Labour
Organization, n.d.).

Visayan Forum Foundations (VF) work with child domestic

workers has been cited by the IPEC and the United Nations Girls
Education Initiative (UNGEI) as an international best practice
(Visayan Forum Foundation Inc., n.d.). VF is an NGO based in the
Philippines, established in 1991 that is widely regarded for
creating innovative solutions to end modern-day slavery. The VF
works to increase recognition of domestic workers and to create
full legal protection and justice for them. VF also provides victim
and family services, while advocating for policy changes to
combat human trafficking, domestic servitude and other forms of
exploitation (Visayan Forum Foundation Inc., n.d.). VF also helped
organize the Samahan at Ugnayan ng mga Manggagawang
Pantahanan sa Pilipinas (SUMAPI), a national organization of
domestic workers (Anti-Slavery International, 2013).

SUMAPI is a national association of domestic workers in the

Philippines who works to uphold the rights and dignity of domestic
workers. Established in 1995, their mission is to create a society
where domestic workers enjoy respect, freedom, justice, and
equitably partake from the fruits of development (Facebook,
2013). With 8000 members nationwide, in six areas, SUMAPI
provides counseling services to domestic workers and access to
educational assistance and skills training provided by their
partners, such as Visayan Forum Foundation (Facebook, 2013).

Government Actions

The 2011 Survey on Children: Child labour in the Philippines of

the National Statistics Office revealed that of the 29 million Filipino
children, aged 5-17 years old, there were roughly about 5.5 million
working children, of which almost 3 million were in hazardous
child labour (International Labour Organization, 2012). Child
domestic workers in the Philippines are in desperate need for the
Government to implement policy changes in order for them to
receive the rights to which they are entitled.

Domestic work is deemed to be one of the worst forms of child

labour. This is a result of the long hours these children are
required to work, and the fact that their isolation within the homes
where they work makes them subject to not only physical and
verbal abuse, but also to sexual harassment. As a result, in 2012,
the Philippines not only ratified the ILO Convention No. 189, but
they also passed both the Domestic Workers Act (also known as
the Kasambahay Act) and the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in
Persons Act. On the 18th January 2013, the Domestic Workers
Act was signed in to law.

The Domestic Workers Act prohibits employment of domestic

helpers below 15 years old, mandates that employers are to
provide at least three adequate meals per day, humane sleeping
conditions and appropriate rest and medical assistance. Domestic
workers and employers are now required by law to enter into a
written contract before commencing employment, with a copy of
the agreement also registered with the barangay (community), the
smallest unit of local government in the Philippines. The new Act
also requires that the minimum monthly pay be 2,500 for those
working in Metro Manila, and pay slips must be issued each pay
(The Philippine Star, 2013). As a result of this law, the total
number of Filipino children employed as domestic workers will be
greatly reduced.

In addition to passing these laws, the Government launched the

national campaign Batang Malaya: Child Labour-Free Philippines,
advocating the elimination of child labour and highlighting the
situation of child workers. Through this campaign, the National
Child Labour Committee, chaired by the Department of Labour
and Employment is calling for urgent actions, such as
strengthening the operations of the National Child Labour
Committee by giving it a legal mandate and a budget, and
expanding the reach and strengthening the capacity of the labour
office to monitor child labour even in unregulated sectors
((International Labour Organization, 2012). The Government also
launched the Child Labour-Free Barangays (Villages) programme.
The Child Labour-Free Barangay programme reached 89
barangays (small villages) in 2012, assisting 4,863 child labourers
(Medina, 2012).

The Philippine Government also launched a Convergence

Programme to reduce hazardous child labour, officially called
H.E.L.P. M.E. which stands for Health, Education, Livelihood,
Prevention, Protection and Prosecution, and Monitoring and
Evaluation (International Labour Organization, 2013).

The Philippines has become a global pioneer in lobbying for a

landmark national law to uplift the status of domestic workers and
has been cited by the United States Department of Labour as one
of the 10 countries making significant advancement in ending the
worst forms of child labour (Sun Star Manila, 2013).

What should be done?

While it is obvious there is no magic solution to abolishing child

labour, and in particular child domestic labour, there are many
different methods in which it can be combated.

Advocating and campaigning in order to raise awareness of the

issue and alter the general opinion away from the belief that it is
acceptable, is one of these methods. The communities these
children live in need to be trained in how to deal with the situation
and help combat child domestic labour. This can be done by
raising public awareness as to the injustice that is happening in
their own community, engaging the employers and showing them
why and how the situation is wrong. Child domestic workers also
tend to have a lack of knowledge about institutions that are
available to help them, awareness of these organisations needs to
be raised so child domestic workers know where they can go to
get assistance.
Enlisting help and support from the employers of domestic
workers is crucial, including incorporating written employment
agreements into their relationship with the child domestic worker.
Creating advocacy with the employers children is another way to
gain the employers support as they in turn, can persuade their
parents and peers.

Increasing childrens access to public education is a fundamental

strategy for ending child labour. Currently a gap between the age
of compulsory education and the minimum age for work leaves
children aged between 12 and 14 susceptible to the worst forms
of child labour (United States Department of Labor, n.d.).
Increasing their access to free and compulsory education is
required to ensure they will actually be able to access it, whilst it
must also be secured until at least the minimum entry age to
employment to stop children going into domestic work (United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2013).
Without an education these children cannot gain the skills
required to work in any other environment and therefore they
remain in domestic work, beginning a never ending cycle of
continuous domestic work for both them and their own children.

Anti-Slavery International said that after speaking with the child

domestic workers themselves it is apparent that they want to
succeed, and that receiving an education is a top priority for them.
They want to be able to have time off to attend classes and
receive support both academically and materially. In the
Philippines, the workers have suggested a change in opening
hours for the local libraries so as those doing night school are still
able to gain access to them, as they are unable to access them
during the day.

A key aspect to improving the situation is to make the child

domestic workers themselves the central agents of both
themselves and other child domestic workers. It is necessary that
they be involved in any efforts to improve their situation regardless
of whether it is through their local community, their Government or
an international organisation.

Anti-Slavery International said that when asked what they want for
their futures, child domestic workers continuously say that they
want security and a better life. They tend to want to work in roles
that help others, such as social workers and nurses, but most of
all, they want to show other child domestic workers that they can
in fact be successful. However a lack of education and low self-
esteem often means fewer options for them and they continue in a
life of domestic labour.

Conclusion

Society needs to understand how prominent child domestic labour

really is, regardless of how invisible these children are, and that
these children need support to get out of their situation. Many of
the children in domestic work had no other choice but to enter into
employment. It is not their choice that they have to work from
dawn till the small hours of the night, nor is it their fault that they
are unable to go to school and receive an education. It is not their
fault that they are in this situation and something needs to be
done to fight this.

As told to Anti-Slavery International, the households in which

these girls live are far from pleasant. Basic needs are not always
provided for them, even simple things such as food and shelter
are not always given. However, overwhelmingly, their basic
demand was always that they be supported, loved and cared for.

While there is still a lot to be done, the Philippine Government and

local organisations are going a long way to combat child labour.
As previously mentioned, the Philippines has been cited by the
United States Department of Labour as one of the 10 countries
making significant advancement in ending the worst forms of child
labour (Sun Star Manila, 2013).

In conclusion, it is all about everyone working together in order to

abolish child labour. Everyone from Government to NGOs to
employers to child domestic workers themselves, must join forces
to promote an end to child labour. If they do not work together,
then changes will not be as forthcoming as it takes everyone
working together to successfully end child domestic labour.