Mistreatment Of Maids

[Buff-horns]

You're only young once

Helping raise awareness of the mistreatment of young domestic workers

Card 1: ``For all house maids, I wish you all the best. You work hard and you deserve to get paid. I don't want any of you to be beaten ... many of my friends left home and their family from afar to work. Some are lucky to work with good bosses; many don't. I hope my card brings you joy, prosperity and a good career.''

This excerpt comes from a card written by a Laotian girl at Kred Trakarn Protection Vocational Training Center, Bureau of Anti-Trafficking in Women and Children. She is one of about 300 children aged between 13 and 18 living there.

They are not criminals _ some of them are child labourers who have been abused and exploited by former employers.

While many humanitarian groups work hard on stopping child labour and trafficking, there is still a small group of child labourers that remains overlooked _ domestic helpers or house maids.

``Compared to other groups of child workers, problems with maids are almost invisible to the public because there are few reports about them. We rarely know how they live and how they are treated,'' said Kanokwan Moratsatian, a staff member at the Child Labour project at the Foundation for Child Development (FCD).

According to an FCD field study, some maids are under the legal age _ 18 _ of employment. Some are illegal migrant workers from neighbouring countries. Some work from six in the morning until nine in the evening, without any overtime payment.

Thai maids can earn about 3,000 to 4,000 baht a month, while their counterparts from neighbouring countries can earn only about 1,000 to 2,000 baht a month, lower than the legal minimum wage of 181 baht a day.

``Some maids never have a break. The most tiring day for many is their boss's day off, when they have to service every family member,'' she added.

Maids, known as jaew in Thai, fit in with the hectic city lifestyle in which help is required for household chores. By law, however, maids are not defined as ``workers''. While there are certain benefits they are supposed to enjoy _ at least one day off a week and guaranteed occupational safety for example _ these are not strictly enforced, especially since most maids live in and employers consider their provision of room and board generosity enough on their part already.

For some home owners, hiring young domestic workers can save money and avoid problems that they may have with adult workers.

Since 2004, the FCD has reportedly rescued 34 children from abusive employers.

``The number seems low, but each of these cases represented different traumatic experiences from brutal acts. There are still so many unreported cases that we take problems with maids for granted,'' Panjan Puangsanthiah, project officer for Child Labour at FCD, said.

Their problems include long working hours, physical and verbal abuse, substandard living conditions, the possibility of unfair dismissal, and separation from their families. But the most prevalent problem is underpayment of wages, or simply no payment at all.

``Some employers claim that they already give them [the domestic workers] a place to live and free food. Others have said that they gave advance payment to an intermediary who was supposed to pay the maid or maid's family. But in many cases, these young workers end up working for nothing,'' she said.

When it comes to helping them, she continues, some children won't cooperate because they don't know their rights or their potential rescuers. Many of them, often uneducated and in the country illegally, depend on their employers for everything.

Ironically, campaigns to raise awareness on the rights of domestic helpers may have backfired. After several decades, the issues have become so commonplace that they have inevitably become hackneyed to the public.

``We have to wait for an abusive case with one of these young maids to be able to hold another talk or activity to promote the campaign. But after that, the issue gradually fades away. Free pamphlets are not quite as effective any more,'' she said.

Card 2: ``Fight everyone, fight! You must fight. Don't cry, just smile. Don't give up, and I will be your willpower.''

To mobilise a campaign to protect under-aged maids, the FCD has come up with a more proactive approach, thanks to their collaboration with other local and international networks. This year, the FCD initiated an holistic approach that involves both employers and employees.

In May, the FCD launched a book-binding project at some private secondary schools in Bangkok, teaching pupils how to make their own books. Staff also lectured on the rights that domestic workers are entitled to.

``Most kids come from well-off families and they will become employers themselves in the future. So it's best to give them some idea about employees' rights when they are young,'' Kanokwan said.

This media-literacy project is being well-received and more private schools are now participating in the project.

``Hopefully it will create awareness among students and teachers to be more sensitive to their maids,'' she said.

Last month, the group asked abused young domestic workers to write down their problems and needs on cards.

``It gives them space to express their opinions and share their experiences with others. Hopefully the public will realise how tough a maid's job is and thus be kinder to them,'' she adds.

This month, the campaign held a short film project that aimed to involve university students and the public with the issues.

``Film's fun and easy for today's young adults to produce. Not only does it show how creative the young can be, but it also serves as a means for them to learn about the issues,'' Kanokwan said.

The idea followed the success of a short film contest for an ``Advertising that Lures Children'' project held last year, that was warmly received by the public and schools nationwide.

The film project also hopes to help dispel bias against domestic helpers. The popular media _ TV soap operas and films _ usually portray maids as gullible and clumsy characters. Earlier this year, Jaew , a film by GTH, was a big box-office success, and an upcoming film, Nu Hin, is based on a popular cartoon about a smart yet slick maid.

``Some films aim to show the human side of maids but they are so scattered and shallow that they are often overshadowed by the more prevalent films that laugh at maids and have fun at their expense. It's time we promoted a better image of maids,''she said.

For this year, all competition entries must be in VCD format, with a length of 10 minutes. They must show a new image of the housemaid, such as positive looks and values, pride in their profession and living in harmony with their employers.

To connect with the audience, they should show the spirit of human equality, integrity, basic rights and welfare that they deserve.

After the deadline of October 21, selected works will be screened at the Lido cinema on November 13, when the judges will award cash prizes totalling 37,000 baht to the winners.

``Teenagers should have a space to voice their opinions and show off their creativity. We will also get a range of ideas on the issues for further distribution to the public and schools around the country,'' Kanokwan said.

``Let's redefine the meaning of maids and servants. Make it a profession that people can be proud of. The employer should also respect it as a decent career,'' she said.

Card 3: ``To all house maids, I support your fighting spirit. I hope you get a good job and a decent boss, more money and more days off so we can go out together, sometimes.''

The FCD will hold a conference on the Thai Short Film project, about projecting a positive image of domestic workers, at the Lido cinema tomorrow from 4 to 6pm. There will be a display of books made by students, and the cards written by former maids to promote the campaign for their rights. The public are welcome. For more information about the contest or child labour reports, visit www.iamchild.org, www.thaishortfilm.com or call 02-433-6296 ext 109.

source: bangkokpost.com