Women's Causes Update: Female Migrant Domestic Workers: A Sad Story Largely Unknown

Female Migrant Domestic Workers: A Sad Story Largely Unknown. - IPS ipsnews.net: "At its 100th Session this June, the ILO Conference thus has a historic opportunity to create global standards and guidance as a timely and needed reference for on-going and future initiatives at the national level,' Oelz concluded. The Philippine’s Magna Carta, a great accomplishment?

After languishing for a decade, the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in the Philippines has finally been signed in 2008, under the name of the Magna Carta of Women, thus underlining the solemnity of the act.

During the panel on 'Good Practices', Emmeline Verzosa, executive director of the Philippine Commission on Women, pointed out how the Magna Carta of Women asks every employer to establish a contract with the employee, guaranteeing minimum wage, day-offs, social security, etc. Agreements, protecting migrant workers, between the Philippines and the host countries have flourished too.

But according to Gina Esguerra, Secretary-General of Migrante International - an active defender of the rights and welfare of Overseas Filipinos Workers (OFWs)-, 'policies and agreements help but by experience host countries tend to violate and disregard the agreement.'"