Last month, I wrote an article in my blog about fighting exploitation through common sense, especially, exploitation of our women. And this post is around the similar train of thought. Since I don’t have TFC (The Filipino Channel) here in California, I usually browse GMANews about issues and news from the Philippines. I’d go to their section called Pinoy Abroad, the category is self-explanatory. I usually read letters from OFWs or migrant workers about the life away from the Philippines, and on the same page, I also read news about Filipinos all over the globe. It’s not rare that there are articles every now and then that are about exploited workers or women by illegal recruiters, foreign fiancés, or employers. I have nothing against people who want to risk their lives for a better future, but there’s a difference between risking and taking a calculated risk.

Let’s start with illegal recruiters, the story is the same all over the board. They ask for money as a fee, they offer you jobs that are too good to be true. And usually, prospective employees don’t do a background check on these recruiters. They offer student visas for you to work. Isn’t that just odd? These are flashing neon signs that there is something wrong. If you don’t know the signs, you can be a victim. I’m not here to preach but to make people aware of these types of schemes. We see them in the news, but why are there still cases that people fall into these traps?

Let’s go to foreign fiancés, note that women who choose to marry or reside in a foreign land are bound to the laws of that country. This might work with or against a person, let me explain. Moving out of the country is just a start, residing in a foreign country is much harder. A foreign fiancé can petition Filipinas to get a visa. In the US, you are given a time frame where you must marry each other or lose status. And if you are married, you have to go through procedures to prove that your marriage is “real”. Arranging marriages is considered fraud, I have no idea of what the system can do as punishment. Let’s say you have your green card, you’re not out of the woods yet, and this is the reason why many Filipinas stay in abusive relationships. They are afraid that they would lose their green cards, and also their chance for a better life if they divorce or separate from their citizen partners. Again, these women forgot that abuse is against the law, domestic violence is against the law. And their partners should be charged with that crime. I’m not a legal adviser, that’s why I encourage anyone who plans to marry a foreign citizen to consult someone before leaving. An immigration lawyer perhaps? In this way, they are aware of the laws about migrating to a foreign country and possibly have a contingency plan if things don’t work out. I would also like to encourage Filipinas to be aware of what laws can protect them. Period. Mail-order bride or not, Filipinas deserve to be respected and not abused. For women who have experienced abuse by their foreign husbands, here are some websites where you can seek help, I only have a little list: New York Asian Women’s Center, WaDT, WomensLaw.org.

And for employers who just want to exploit the Filipino human resource, again, they are bound with the laws of their country. Filipino employees who had ran away usually seek help from the Philippine Embassy at that location. And like any crime, you can fight back, here’s a good example about the Filipina Saipan dancers who filed a case against the Nagoya Star Night Club.

The thing I’m stressing out here is that, before things can get ugly, you can always get out. Getting out means that you have a plan to get yourself out of a mess without compromising your future. So always calculate risks before risking your life or your future. Education is a very good tool which is seldom used, and I hope the Filipina Campaign can help. For me, this campaign is more than just cleaning up the image of the Filipina online, it’s also reaching out to Filipinas all around the world and empowering them.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007 at 12:43 pm and is filed under The Filipina. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.