DOMESTIC HELPERS UNDER ILO CONVENTION 189 - Part I

(From left: Edwina Beech,  President Emeritus, Philippine Association of Service Exporters Incorporation (PASEI); 

Elisa Villa, Director  (PASEI); Lito B. Soriano, President & CEO of LBS Recruitment Solutions and President Emeritus, PASEI; Liberty Casco, Deputy Administrator, POEA)  

International Labour Conference Convention (ILO C) No. 189 offers specific protection to domestic workers, that need to be ratified by the receiving government as a commitment to implement its provision. The Department of Foreign Affairs on October 15 to 16, 2012 conducted International Migrant Domestic Care Workers at the Interface of Migration and Development : Action to Expand Global Practice in the Asian Region, advocating for the ratification of ILO C 189, which defines a domestic worker as, “any person engaged in domestic work within an employment relationship.” 

“For the past five years, deployment of domestic workers grew at the same time that our GDP improved. POEA data disclosed that in 2008, there were 70,000 domestic workers that were deployed abroad. The volume increased in 2010 at 96,000. In 2011, it ballooned to 142,000 and most of them are women. On other hand, only 41,900 land based skilled workers were deployed abroad in 2010. This data is disturbing, because most of the recruitment agencies are into deployment of skilled and professional workers. POEA’s data disclose that many of OFWs deployed abroad are factory workers and 45% were domestic workers and most of them are women”, said Lito B. Soriano, President & CEO of LBS Recruitment Solutions and President Emeritus of the Philippine Association of Service Exporters Incorporation (PASEI). “While there are many available positions for skilled and professional workers abroad, they are, however, not qualified because their work experience is not relevant to their educational”, he further stated. 

OFW DOMESTIC HELPERS PART I -
 

 
OFW DOMESTIC HELPERS PART II  -