Editor's Note |
20 years of service to the community
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Time flies.
Exactly 20 years ago this month, The SUN shone for the Filipinos in Hong Kong. It was
the fulfillment of a dream that took shape years earlier, or shortly after I arrived here in 1987 and
realized there was no reliable information channel serving the community.
But turning that dream into reality proved to be difficult. Several people offered to fund
the publication of a news-paper, but everyone wanted a business model different from what we had
in mind.
Details...
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Anak Araw |
Pagpapabaya
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Nitong nakaraang buwan ay naging saksi tayo sa nangyari kay Manang Gloria Ortinez,
ang OFW na biktima ng tanim-bala sa Manila airport. Halos buong araw kasi ay naglagi siya sa
opisina ng The SUN, kasama ang mga naghatid sa kanya na sina Susan "Toots" Ople na tagataguyod ng
mga OFW, at ang abogado niyang si Atty Spocky Farolan, kaya nasaksihan namin siya nang malapitan.
Details...
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Migrant's Forum |
Nanay Gloria's journey to HK
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President Benigno Simeon Aquino III recently told the media that cases of tanim-bala
were sensationalized, citing figures to prove his point. As an OFW advocate, I respectfully
disagree. Looking at this from a purely numbers perspective could lead one to overlook the deep trauma
that such incidents have caused its innocent victims.
Had he met and spoken to 56-year old OFW Gloria Ortinez, our President would have
learned the following:
Details...
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Know Your Rights |
The Mission
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This was the speech delivered by the Mission for Migrant Workers' general manager,
Cynthia Tellez, at the launch of the 10-year Impact Evaluation Report of the Mission's work held on
December 5, 2015 at the Li Hall of St. John's Cathedral.
Details...
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With at least one -- and possibly two disqualification cases in the presidential race --
the Supreme Court has assured the nation politics will not dictate its decisions.
See this month's stories...
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Staff and volunteers at the Mission for Migrant Workers had reason to celebrate when
they launched the non-government organization's 10-year Impact Evaluation Report at Li Hall of St
John's Cathedral on Dec. 4. Nearly all, or 97% of migrants who sought assistance said that they were
helped by the Mission, and more than half of them (57%) said they would recommend the NGO to others.
See this month's stories...
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Mid-July 2014
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Hong Kong News
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Hong Kong may have laws that protect foreign domestic workers, but they fall short of
international standards, especially those that protect them from forced labor, one of the most
widespread forms of human trafficking.
This statement was made by United States vice consul and political affairs officer Robert
Kokta, when he spoke on the global problem of human trafficking at the Philippine Consulate on July 6 .
It's true that there is a Hong Kong legal framework designed to protect certain rights of
domestic workers but there are shortcomings,
Kokta said. For one, he said
Hong Kong laws do
not identify labor trafficking as a form of human trafficking
.
He said labor trafficking could be in the form of involuntary domestic servitude, which
involves certain conditions that prevent domestic helpers from leaving their employers, including the
high placement fee that they had to pay.
He noted that the
debts
that many domestic workers are made to pay amount to about 80%
of their salary for the first seven or eight months of employment, leaving them vulnerable to abuse
and exploitation.
Kokta's talk came in the wake of the release of the U.S. State Department's 2014 Report
on Human Trafficking, which slammed Hong Kong for being
a destination, transit, and source
territory for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor.
The report, released on June 20, enumerated in detail the anomalous practices that leave
migrant workers working virtually for no pay in the first few months of their stay in Hong Kong.
Workers from the Philippines and Indonesia are generally charged the equivalent of
between $1,900 and $2,800, respectively, in their home countries for job placement;
these debts lead to situations of debt bondage in Hong Kong
, says the report.
The report also blasted at the long working hours of migrant domestic workers and the lack
of basic provisions for them in their workplace, including a suitable sleeping area.
Kokta said the problem partly lies in Hong Kong's perception that human trafficking is
a transnational crime, where victims have to be moved across borders.
Hong Kong sees it as a crime of trans-nationality, whereas we see it as a crime of
exploitation,
he said.
Because of this perception, Hong Kong's laws only provide for punishment for crimes
involving sex trafficking or prostitution, but not for indentured labor.
We have not seen any criminal cases of labor trafficking in Hong Kong because Hong
Kong law does not define it,
Kokta explained.
Despite this, he urged FDWs to know their rights as soon as they enter Hong Kong, and to
seek help immediately when these rights are violated. They are also advised to deal only with
licensed recruitment agencies, not to allow anyone to take their passports and other documents, and not
to sign any blank checks or pieces of paper.
Ultimately, Kokta said the US adopts a victim-centered approach.
Their governments should look after the welfare of the victims and restore them back
to normal life
.
Kokta said the U.S. State Department has decided to issue an annual Trafficking in
Persons Report, after noting the huge gap between the number of reported victims and the total number
of prosecutions worldwide.
As an example, he said about 21 million human trafficking victims were identified last year,
but only 10,600 prosecutions involving 44,000 victims were recorded.
For the same period, the International Labour Organization has reported that profits from
labor trafficking amounted to a staggering US$150 billion.
The actual number of victims could be even higher, he said.
Kokta was accompanied at the talk by Consul George Hogeman, head of the consular
services section, who spoke of visa requirements and conditions of stay for visitors entering the
United States.
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