“More than a Roof and Four Walls”
by Theresa Symons
Congregation
of
Our Lady of Charity
of
the Good Shepherd
Globally present in 73 countries with one focus…
Direction Statement
2015 - 2021
….We identified the most pressing needs of today as
poverty, human trafficking, forced migration, refugees,
gender inequality, violence toward women and children,
and religious intolerance….
South
Korea
Japan
Nepal
Hong Kong
Macau Taiwan
India Myanmar Vietnam
Cambodia Philippines
Thailand
Malaysia
Sri Lanka
Singapore
Pakistan
Indonesia
Good
Shepherd in
Asia Pacific
Australia
New
Zealand
(Good Shepherd Welfare Centre)
Malaysia
website: goodshepherd.my
2011
2012
2013 (e)
2014 (f)
Population (million)
29.0
29.3
29.7
30.1
Malaysians
(26.7)
(27.0)
(27.3)
Non-Msians
(2.3)
(2.3)
(2.4)
Labour force (million)
12.6
12.9
13.2
13.6
Employment (million)
12.3
12.5
12.8
13.1
Unemployment rate (%)
3.1
3.2
3.1
3.1
Source: Economic Planning Unit
Malaysia
Source: Economic Planning Unit
Conventions
UDHR
CEDAW
CRC
Palermo Protocol
Convention Relating to the Rights of
Refugees
Signatory
✓
✓
✓
✓
✗
Convention on the Protection of the Rights
of All Migrant Workers and members of
their families
✗
Domestic Workers Convention (ILO 189)
✗
Indonesian Domestic Workers – Cost of recruitment
Source: The STAR 24Jan15
Indonesian Domestic Workers – Salary Comparison
Source: The STAR 24Jan15
Experiences
of
Domestic
Workers
in an
Irregular
Situation
• Good Shepherd
Women Shelter
• Government Shelters for
Trafficked Women
Experiences
of
Domestic
Workers
in an
Irregular
Situation
Vulnerability
to
Human
Trafficking
Act – Means - Purpose
Stress,
Afraid, nervous
Poor Mental
health
Sick
Physical , verbal,
emotional abuse
Families
@ home
to
support
Low
literacy
rate
No
options
for help
Unpaid
wages
Withholding of
passports
Lack of
health care
Poor living
conditions, no
private space
Poor
Implementation
DW
not
Debt
of laws
recognized
as
bondage
Low /
work; servant
Irregular
Non
Priority means of
No legal
High
employment
recourse
recruitment
Poor victim
Not aware of fees
identification
rights
CAUSES
Undocumented
Poverty
Restricted
movement
Multiple places
of work
IMPACT
Sexual
exploitation
Unskilled
No contact with
family /
relatives
No day off,
work 24/7
Sexual
exploitation
No contact with
family /
relatives
Multiple places
of work
• CounselingRestricted
(individual and group)
Unpaid
Lack of
Stress,
Sick • Program
activities
movement
wages
health care
Afraid, nervous
• Faith sharing (for non-Muslims)
Poor Mental
health
Families
@ home
to
support
Poor living
conditions, no
private space
CAUSES
Poverty
Withholding of
passports
Poor
Implementation
DW
not
Debt
of laws
Low
recognized
as
bondage
Low /
literacy
work; servant
Irregular
Need to address the causes!
Non
rate
Priority means of
No legal
High
employment
recourse
No
recruitment
options
Poor victim
Not aware of fees
for help
identification
rights
Undocumented
Unskilled
Physical , verbal,
emotional abuse
IMPACT
No day off,
work 24/7
April to July 2014
IMPACT
CAUSES
Call
To
Action
Universal
Declaration
of Human
Rights
Convention
on the
Rights of the
Child
Convention on
the Elimination
of
Discrimination
Against Women
Domestic
Workers
Convention
ILO 189
Intl Convention
on the
Protection of
the Rights of All
Migrant
Workers and
Members of
their Families
Palermo
Protocol
(Trafficking
in Persons)
Convention
Relating to
the Rights of
Refugees
END POVERTY IN ALL ITS FORMS
EVERYWHERE
1.1 Eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere,
currently measured by people living on less than $1.25 a
day
1.4 Ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor
and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic
resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership
and control over land and other forms of property,
inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new
technology and financial services, including microfinance.
LIFELONG LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
FOR ALL
4.2 Ensure that all girls and boys complete free,
equitable and quality primary and secondary education
leading to relevant and effective outcomes
4.5 Eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure
equal access to all levels of education and vocational
training…..
4.6 Ensure all youths and a substantial proportion of
adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and
numeracy
ACHIEVE GENDER EQUALITY AND
EMPOWER ALL WOMEN AND GIRLS
5.2 Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and
girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking
and sexual and other types of exploitation
5.4 Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work
through the provision of public services, infrastructure and
social protection policies and the promotion of shared
responsibility within the household and the family as
nationally appropriate
PROMOTE SUSTAINED, INCLUSIVE AND
SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH, FULL
AND PRODUCTIVE EMPLOYMENT AND
DECENT WORK FOR ALL
8.7 Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate
forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking
and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst
forms of child labour…..
8.8 Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure
working environments for all workers, including migrant
workers, in particular women migrants and those in
precarious employment
REDUCE INEQUALITY WITHIN AND
AMONG COUNTRIES
10.7 Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible
migration and mobility of people including through the
implementation of planned and well managed migration
policies
PEACE JUSTICE AND STRONG
INSTITUTIONS
16.2 End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms
of violence against and torture of children
16.5 Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all
their forms
How do we develop action plans guided by
human rights documents and the Sustainable
Development Goals to create sound policy
frameworks at national, regional and
international levels for the protection and
promotion of human rights if migrant domestic
workers in an irregular situation?
“…..above and beyond our
plans and programmes,
we are dealing with real
men and women who
live, struggle and suffer,
and are often forced to
live in great poverty,
deprived of all rights.
To enable these real men
and women to escape
from extreme poverty, we
must allow them to be
dignified agents of their
own destiny.”