Filipino Migrant Women in Domestic Work: A Comparative Evaluation Among Turkiye, East Asian, and Middle Eastern Countries

This study examines the work experiences of female Filipino domestic workers in some countries and presents comparative evaluations between Turkiye and selected countries in the Middle East and East Asia. From this point of view, the data used in the study were collected from different country cases, including Turkiye and selected countries in East Asia and the Middle East. The evaluations were revealed through descriptive analysis with comparison. Several studies, reports, and news about female Filipino domestic workers from these countries were reviewed throughout this research. By comparing the working conditions and their experiences in said countries, it is understood that workers are alone in bearing the consequences of the lack of protection between the walls of private homes. Therefore, this study stresses that immigrant workers’ rights are violated at domestic-related work in many ways. They face severe abuses and human rights violations in some regions where slave-like conditions still exist. As a result, reviewing the existing migration and labour laws should be the first step to be taken by the host countries. As such, sustainable policies should be introduced immediately to reduce the vulnerability of migrant domestic workers and provide adequate protection.

___

  • Aboueldahab, N. (2021). Social Protection, Not just Legal Protection: Migrant Laborers in the Gulf. Brookings Doha Center, (Policy Note, August). Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Migrant-laborers-in-the-gulf-English.pdf, 30.03.2022
  • Acosta, I., & Acosta, A. S. (2013). In Pain and in Wail: A Phenomenology of the Abuses of the Filipino Domestic Workers. Cambridge. Retrieved from https://www.wiego.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/Student_Research_Paper-phenomenology_abuses_Filipino_Domestic_Workers_Qatar-Acosta_Acosta_2013.pdf, 02.04.2022
  • Akalın, A. (2016). “Biz Lejyonerleriz!”: İstanbul’daki Filipinli Ev İşçileri. In D. Ö. Koçak & O. K. Koçak (Eds.), İstanbul Kimin Şehri?: Kültür, Tasarım, Seyirlik ve Sermaye (pp. 1–14). İstanbul: Metis Yayınları.
  • Al-Ghanim, K. (2015). Kafala System Remains Resilient in the GCC. Gulf Affairs, Labor Market Dynamics in the GCC States , OxGAPS, Oxford Gulf & Arabian Peninsula Studies Forum. 6-8.
  • Asis, M. M. B. (2006). The Philippines’ Culture of Migration. Migration Policy Institute. Retrieved from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/philippines-culture-migration, 02.03.2022
  • Asis, M. M. B. (2017). The Philippines: Beyond Labor Migration, Toward Development and (Possibly) Return. Migration Policy Institute. Retrieved from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/philippines-beyond-labor-migration-toward-development-and-possibly-return, 01.03.2022
  • BBC News. (2017). Singapore couple jailed for starving Philippine maid. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39402698, 11.03.2022
  • BBC News. (2018). Joanna Demafelis: Employers of Filipina maid found dead in freezer arrested. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43177349, 11.03.2022
  • Çelik, N. (2005). Immigrant Domestic Women Workers in Ankara and Istanbul. Journal of Materials Processing Technology. Retrieved from https://open.metu.edu.tr/handle/11511/15321, 21.03.2022
  • Çeltikçi, M. (2019). Küresel “Minyon Kahverengi” Kadın Emeği: Türkiye’de Çalışan Filipinli Kadınlar (Yayınlanmamış Yüksek Lisans Tezi).
  • Cheng, S. J. A. (1996). Migrant women domestic workers in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan: A comparative analysis. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 5(1), 139–152. https://doi.org/10.1177/011719689600500107
  • CNN Philippines. (2020). Kuwaiti employer sentenced to death for killing Filipina domestic worker. Retrieved from https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/12/30/kuwaiti-employer-death-sentence-murder-jeanelyn-villavende.html, 11.03.2022
  • Constable, N. (2007). Maid to Order in Hong Kong (Second Edi). Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press.
  • Cortés, P., & Pan, J. (2013). Outsourcing household production: Foreign domestic workers and native labor supply in Hong Kong. Journal of Labor Economics, 31(2), 327–371. https://doi.org/10.1086/668675
  • ÇSGB. (2022). Çalışma Hayatı İstatistikleri Kitabı. Retrieved from https://www.csgb.gov.tr/cgm/istatistikler/calisma-hayati-istatistikleri-kitabi/, 31.03.2022
  • Deniz, A. (2018). Türkiye’ye Filipinli Dadı Göçü: Aracı Firmaların Rolünü Anlamak. Coğrafi Bilimler Dergisi, 16(2), 289–301.
  • Deniz, G., Kaluç, B. F., & Uysal, H. (2020). İstanbul’da Ev ve Bakım Hizmetlerinde Çalışan Filipinli Kadınlar: Göç, Emek ve Gündelik Hayat. Pasajlar Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, Haziran Sayısı. Retrieved from https://www.pasajlardergisi.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Sayi-5-Gulten-Deniz-Firdevs-Busra-Kaluc-Hilal-Uysal.pdf, 21.02.2022
  • Everington, K. (2019). 38% of migrant caregivers in Taiwan abused by employers. Retrieved from https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3824153, 21.03.2022
  • Fivecorridorsproject.org. (2021). Philippines to Taiwan: Fair recruitment in review. Retrieved from https://fivecorridorsproject.org/uploads/C4_Philippines_Taiwan-1.pdf, 11.02.2022
  • GovHK. (2021). Hong Kong Annual Digest of Statistics (2021 Edition). Hong Kong. Retrieved from https://www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?scode=460&pcode=B1010003, 21.03.2022
  • GovHK. (2022a). Hiring Foreign Domestic Helpers (FDHs). Retrieved from https://www.gov.hk/en/theme/guidebook/employment/family/foreigndomestichelper.htm, 21.03.2022
  • GovHK. (2022b). Statistics on the number of Foreign Domestic Helpers in Hong Kong (English). Retrieved from https://data.gov.hk/en-data/dataset/hk-immd-set4-statistics-fdh, 21.03.2022
  • GOVPH. (2022). Philippine Development Plans: 2001-2010, 2011-2016, 2016-Present. Retrieved from https://pdp.neda.gov.ph/devt-plans/, 21.03.2022
  • Gürson, M. A. (2021). Corporeal Bodies Beyond Borders: Experiences of Migrant Filipina Nannies in Turkey.
  • Hosoda, N. (2020). Countering Abuse Against Philippine Migrant Workers. Retrieved from https://thediplomat.com/2020/04/countering-abuse-against-philippine-migrant-workers/, 20.02.2022
  • Human Rights Watch. (2018). Kuwait/Philippines: Protect Filipino Migrant Workers. Retrieved from https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/02/21/kuwait/philippines-protect-filipino-migrant-workers, 20.02.2022
  • IDWF. (2020). Annual Report 2020. Hong Kong. Retrieved from https://idwfed.org/en/resources/idwf-publications, 01.04.2022
  • ILO. (2011). C189 - Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189). Retrieved from https://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_ILO_CODE:C189, 10.02.2022
  • ILO. (2020). Dismantling the kafala system and introducing a minimum wage mark new era for Qatar labour market. Retrieved from https://www.ilo.org/beirut/countries/qatar/WCMS_754391/lang--en/index.htm, 20.02.2022
  • ILO. (2021). Making decent work a reality for domestic workers: Progress and prospects ten years after the adoption of the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189). Geneva.
  • International Human Rights Clinic. (2013). The Protection of the Rights of Migrant Domestic Workers in a Country of Origin and a Country of Destination: Case Studies of the Philippines and Kuwait. Washington, D.C. Retrieved from https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/bitstream/handle/1774.2/61402/2013 Domestic-Workers-Report.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y, 30.01.2022
  • ITUC. (2017). Facilitating Exploitation: A review of Labour Laws for Migrant Domestic Workers in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries. Brussels.
  • Johnson, M. (2010). Diasporic Dreams, Middle-Class Moralities and Migrant Domestic Workers Among Muslim Filipinos in Saudi Arabia. The Asia Pacific Journal Of Anthropology, 11(3–4), 428–448. https://doi.org/10.1080/14442213.2010.512921
  • Khan, A., & Harroff-Tavel, H. (2011). Reforming the Kafala: Challenges and Opportunities in Moving Forward. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 20(3–4), 293–313. https://doi.org/10.1177/011719681102000303
  • Kökkılınç, A. G. (2019). Ev Hi̇zmetleri̇nde Çalışan İşçi̇nin İş İli̇şki̇si̇. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi İşletme Fakültesi Dergisi, 20(2), 537–557. https://doi.org/10.24889/ifede.653959
  • Lan, P.-C. (2000). Remapping Identities across Borders and at Home: Filipina Migrant Domestic Workers and Taiwanese Employers. In The Fifth Annual Conference on the History and Culture of Taiwan. University of California at Los Angeles.
  • Lin, C.-J. (1999). Filipina Domestic Workers in Taiwan: Structural Constraints and Personal Resistance. Taiwan Grassroots Women Workers’ Centre. Retrieved from https://gigs.kmu.edu.tw/images/Chin-Ju_Lin/1999_Filipina_Domestic_Workers_in_Taiwan.pdf, 20.03.2022
  • Macairan, E. (2002). 900 Filipino workers flee jobs in Taiwan. Retrieved from https://gulfnews.com/uae/900-filipino-workers-flee-jobs-in-taiwan-1.379217, 10.03.2022
  • Maconocido, J. F. (2021). The Other Side of The Greener Pasture: The Narratives of Filipina Migrants in Turkey. Istanbul Aydın University.
  • McKay, D. (2020). The Philippines–Hong Kong migration corridor. In R. Bastia, Tanja ; Skeldon (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Migration and Development (pp. 435–440). UK: Routledge.
  • Menegatti, E. (2016). Migrant Domestic Workers: Promoting Occupational Safety and Health. International Labour Organization Research Series. Global Action Programme on Migrant Domestic Workers and Their Families, Geneva. Retrieved from https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---protrav/---migrant/documents/briefingnote/wcms_467720.pdf, 20.02.2022
  • MFA. (2012). Reform of the Kafala (Sponsorship) System. Retrieved from https://mfasia.org/migrantforumasia/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/reformingkafala_final.pdf, 08.03.2022
  • Migrant-rights.org. (2022). Reform the Kafala System. Retrieved from https://www.migrant-rights.org/campaign/end-the-kafala-system/, 08.03.2022
  • Misssion For Migrant Workers. (2021). 2020 Service Report. Hong Kong: MFMW Limited. Retrieved from https://www.migrants.net/reports, 02.02.2022
  • Moors, A., & Regt, M. de. (2008). Migrant domestic workers in the Middle East. In L. L. and C. Q. Marlou Schrover, Joanne van der Leun (Ed.), Illegal Migration and Gender in a Global and Historical Perspective (pp. 151–170). Amsterdam University Press. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46mwss.9?seq=1, 18.03.2022
  • Nadeau, K. (2007). A maid in servitude: Filipino domestic workers in the Middle East. Migration Letters, 4(1), 15–27. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.33182/ml.v4i1.207
  • Naufal, G., & Malit, Jr., F. (2018). Exploitation and the Decision to Migrate: The Role of Abuse and Unfavorable Working Conditions in Filipina Domestic Workers’ Desire to Return Abroad. IZA – Institute of Labor Economics, (11677). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3217495
  • O’Neil, K. (2004). Labor Export as Government Policy: The Case of the Philippines. Migration Policy Institute. Retrieved from https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/labor-export-government-policy-case-philippines, 12.03.2022
  • Pan, S.-M., & Yang, J.-T. (2011). Sexual Abuse of Live-In Care Workers in Taiwan. Sexual Abuse - Breaking the Silence, 223–238. https://doi.org/10.5772/26754
  • Parrenas, R. S. (2019). Domestic Work in the UAE: The Moral Dilemma of the Day Off. Turkish Policy Quarterly, 18(1), 117–125.
  • Pascual, A. (2017). ’ “Manufacturing”’Domestic Workers: Examining the differences in patterns of recruitment in Taiwan and Hong Kong, An analysis of politial factors: civil society. School of Political Studies, University of Ottawa.
  • Paul, A. M. (2011). Stepwise International Migration: A Multistage Migration Pattern for the Aspiring Migrant. American Journal of Sociology, 116(6), 1842–1886. https://doi.org/10.1086/659641
  • Philippine Statistics Authority. (2022). 2020 Overseas Filipino Workers (Final Results). Retrieved from https://psa.gov.ph/statistics/survey/labor-and-employment/survey-overseas-filipinos, 28.03.2022
  • Pleasance, C. (2018). Filipino maid is found dead and stuffed in a FREEZER in Kuwait as police probe the deaths of seven others and President Duterte orders “total ban” on workers being sent to the country. Retrieved from https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5390803/Filipino-maid-dead-inside-FREEZER-Kuwait.html, 01.04.2022
  • POLO TOKYO. (2022). Highlights of Accomplishments and Best Practices (2021). Retrieved from https://polotokyo.dole.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/HIGHLIGHTS-OF-ACCOMPLISHMENTS-AND-BEST-PRACTICES-3-9-22.pdf, 28.03.2022
  • Research Office LC Secretariat. (2017). Foreign domestic helpers and evolving care duties in Hong Kong (2016-2017 No. 4). Retrieved from https://www.legco.gov.hk/research-publications/english/1617rb04-foreign-domestic-helpers-and-evolving-care-duties-in-hong-kong-20170720-e.pdf, 28.03.2022
  • Silvey, R., & Parreñas, R. (2020). Precarity chains: cycles of domestic worker migration from Southeast Asia to the Middle East. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 46(16), 3457–3471. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2019.1592398
  • Taiwan Ministry of Labour. (2022). Foreign Workers in Productive Industries and Social Welfare by Various Type and Nationality. Retrieved from https://statdb.mol.gov.tw/html/mon/c12050.htm, 19.01.2022
  • The World Bank. (2021). Migration and Remittances Data. Retrieved from https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/migrationremittancesdiasporaissues/brief/migration-remittances-data, 18.02.2022
  • WEIGO. (2022). Driving Forces & Working Conditions. Retrieved from https://www.wiego.org/informal-economy/occupational-groups/domestic-workers#:~:text=Abuse%2C Harassment and Violence&text=Live-in domestic workers experience,physical%2Fsexual abuse by employers., 28.03.2022
  • Yalçın, Çi̇. (2015). Türkiye’de ev hizmetlerinde çalışan göçmen kadınlar ve ekonomik şiddet. Fe Dergi: Feminist Eleştiri, 7(1), 50–60.
  • Zailon II, D. (2018). İstanbul’da Ev İşinde Çalışan Filipinli Kadın İşçilerin Yaşam Kalitesi ve İş Koşullarının Belirlenmesi. Ege Üniversitesi Halk Sağlığı Enstitüsü.
  • Zailon II, D., & Mandıracıoğlu, A. (2022). İstanbul’daki Filipinli ev işinde çalışan kadın işçilerin yaşam kalitesi ve çalışma durumunun belirlenmesi. ESTÜDAM Halk Sağlığı Dergisi, 7(1), 122–133.