WEBVTT

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[music]

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These are Evelyn\'s children.

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In the last three and a half years, they
have seen their mother a total of 12 weeks.

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Evelyn is but one of over 1,30,000

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Filipino overseas domestic workers
making a living in Hong Kong.

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Her children miss her very much.

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I came from uh… village in
northern part of Manila.

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And uh… we are eight in out
family, I\'m the fourth one.

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And my… my mother and father
was already in Hong Kong

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and three of my sisters. And
my employer provide me…

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one flat and I stay there alone. I
enjoy my life here in Hong Kong

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because I have a good employer,
he\'s very helped me.

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Still I feel homesick sometimes because it\'s
very hard to… to be away with my family

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and especially my children.
I know that they needs

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uh… the love of, and care of the mother.
And I know that

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uh… they miss me a lot and I miss them a
lot. So I always send them some pictures so…

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so that will not uh… forget me.

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As commonly said Hong Kong is the,

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is a paradise for Filipino workers.
Paradise in the sense that

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uh… among the different
countries that overseas work

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is often to the Filipinos, Hong
Kong is a better place to go.

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If there are abuses, harassments

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and some illegal activities that

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uh… are done to the Filipino workers,
it means the, most minimal I guess.

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Oh, my boss subscribe me a Readers Digest

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uh… he pay., he subscribed me
from, she subscribed it for me

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and uh… it\'s uh… it\'s
almost two years already

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that I have this.

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So I have a collection of British (inaudible)
and sometimes also I read (inaudible).

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This is the book of a Mormon
because I\'m a Mormon.

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And… and the literature (inaudible).

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And I have collections of… Yeah.

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Umm… The thing with Hong Kong legislation is
that one having a contract is good enough,

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that\'s uh… very good in terms of uh… having
a migrant person going to another place

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and uh… wouldn\'t know
what their rights are.

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But having a… a contract that has a…
a number of (inaudible) is also bad.

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So, and couple coupled with

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uh… a strong restriction which is a two week rule
that is impossible. The immigration department

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that makes the whole situation
of a migrant worker

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uh… difficult in the sense that
whatever difficulty there is

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umm… she has to bare that until she is able
to make sure that she can prove herself to be

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uh… a person able to explain the situation

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and to be believed by the authorities.

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Uh… (inaudible) was imposed in 1987.
Prior to that,

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once you enter Hong Kong and start on a
contract, you have an umm… years of Visa.

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And if that contract is
terminated for whatever reason,

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you continue having that uh… Visa be able to
find a new employer carry on with the case

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if you have a case against your previous employer.
And that\'s not a problem but we have two week rule

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uh… you\'re only allowed to stay in Hong Kong
for two weeks from the time the contract

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is terminated for whatever reason,
even if it\'s not your fault,

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you have to explain, you have to prove that it\'s not your fault.
Second, basically you are not allowed to find another employer.

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That two week is just taking you a chance to
pack up your things and prepared to go home.

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I thought Hong Kong will be,

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is a land of broken handy but unfortunately

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I got, I got the worst employer.

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I come here to help my parents
and my… my nephews and nieces

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because when my sister is already a widow.

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Uh… She is only earning
uh… a little so she can

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umm… she can afford, you know,
to send her children to school,

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good school. That\'s why I
want to help as possible.

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I still want to work here if… if I find

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umm… an employer who will be kind
enough, who… who will be human in our,

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to take me then I\'ll continue working.

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Another deterent to
Domestic workers reporting

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the human rights abuses that they suffer is
that the burden of proof rests with the worker,

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thus if she wishes to win her case,

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to be granted permission to process her papers in Hong
Kong, she must often subject herself to further abuse

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in order to attempt to document it. Page 5,

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4th Quarter, 1993, \"Migrant focus.\"

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One evening employer uh…
take my (inaudible)

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because uh… she said the amount, the
amount is obviously (inaudible) much.

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When I (inaudible) to her

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uh… because I said, uh…
I want, I want to leave

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uh… some for my… my… my,
the man the husband

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because the husband usually
uh… eat… eat uh… late…

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late at night. So that\'s for him
because no food left in the fridge.

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So uh… she… he uh… the man can have that.

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But then when I listen that uh… she
said, she said, I… I want to kill you.

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From then she get the chopping knife
in the kitchen drawer and then she…

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she lift up me and then she… she
really intend to kill me but didn\'t.

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I mean, she maybe realized that she\'s
doing wrong and the daughter is there,

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maybe she realized. Also the…
the… the daughter could see it.

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She stopped from doing that. And then

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umm… (inaudible)

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until her husband umm…
arrives form the office.

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In my different speeches during Sundays,

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I always tell the crowd,
mostly composed of this women

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that they should work as domestic
but never think like a domestic.

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In fact, when I was still
a domestic helper,

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I used to preach to my
uh… neighbors in that.

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You should not be sad with our situation,
just pretend you are actresses.

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That if you\'re in words successful
then you are the best actress.

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[music]

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I risk my three small children.
I left a very

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(inaudible) professional.
I should not (inaudible)

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because of this, which I thought
He\'ll us from (inaudible).

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Article 4 of the international bill of human
rights states that no person shall be held in

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slavery or servitude.

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In a sense Philippines is a (inaudible)
society because uh… it\'s a societal problem

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in the Philippines that most men
are very dependent on women

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and very indecisive because
they were trained as such.

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They depend too much on woman that when
adversity comes, it\'s the women who rescue

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the family from that bad situation.
And I guess that\'s

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the reason also why most
Filipino women become strong.

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[music]

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The two week rule is seen by many

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to be the major stumbling block
to creating a humane working

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and living environment
for domestic workers.

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Baby, unaware of this political act may yet feel its repercussions or might possibly
be blessed with a family that doesn\'t need to see economic relief overseas.

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In any event, baby will be part

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of a matriarchal system that not only provides the means
by which to eat but also the means to self courage

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and the ability to celebrate
life despite the hardships.

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[music]