Susie, a 28-year-old Indonesian migrant worker, said that all she wanted in life was to be a good daughter. In a bid to help her poor family, she joined friends in Hong Kong three years ago to work as a domestic helper. Then, a year ago, she came to Taipei with similar plans.
Her two sisters have subsequently joined her in Taiwan, now one of the countries in the region that receives the greatest influx of foreign workers.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
"My big sister, who is 32, is in Taichung. She is taking care of an A-ma [
Susie and her sisters are not alone. It is estimated that over one million women from countries like Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Philippines are working as domestic helpers, legally and illegally, in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia and the Middle East. Some scholars have dubbed this Asian migration flow as a "trade in maids."
In Taiwan, the number of foreign domestic helpers amounted to 7,823 as of the end of 2000, and the number of foreign caregivers was around 70,000 to 80,000, according to statistics from the Council of Labor Affairs.
In recent years, however, English-speaking Filipinos have gradually lost their appeal to local families because of frequent labor-management disputes. Instead, Indonesian women have become more popular among employers because some say they are more "mild-mannered."
"Indonesian workers don't often complain, so Taiwanese employers like them a lot," said Ramon Bangun, a department director at the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office in Taipei.
Increasing numbers,Growing Complaints
In Taipei alone, the number of foreign caregivers from Indonesia has reached 14,900 while the Philippines supplied 9,000. And among some 35,000 foreign workers in Taipei, 16,070 come from Indonesia while 11,950 are from the Philippines, according to Taipei City Government statistics.
Labor-rights activists and scholars are lashing out at both Taiwan and Indonesia for failing to safeguard the rights of these Indonesian guest workers as their numbers grow.
"Half of the complaints we've received recently are from Indonesians," said Lorna Kung (龔尤倩), director of the Foreign Workers' Counseling Center under the Taipei City Government and a former labor-rights activist.
These complaints include sexual harassment and assault from their male employers, excessive overtime, lack of days off, as well as unreasonable salary deductions, Kung said.
Analysts who have studied the plight of these Asian domestic helpers and caregivers have sought to identify the underlying reasons that can lead to complaints from employees.
"Employers have enormous leeway in determining working conditions because they set the wages, establish job descriptions, and determine the work structure ... Given the power that employers have over working conditions, domestics -- more than other workers -- feel dependent on and at the mercy of their employers," said American author Mary Romero in her book Maid in the USA.
Cheng Chih-yu (成之約), a professor at the Institute for Labor Research at National Chengchi University, offered his observations.
"Compared to other foreign workers, live-in domestic helpers and caregivers are faced with abominable working conditions as their workplace is the employer's house. They stay in their employer's home 24 hours a day, and even when they are asleep, they are not completely at ease," Cheng said.
Worse yet, these guest workers are isolated because they live and work in an individual household, therefore seldom enjoying support from their peer group, Cheng added.
The fact that these domestic helpers and caregivers are not protected by the Labor Standards Law makes it easier for their employers to exploit them, analysts have said.
Language and Religious Barriers
Compared to their counterparts from the Philippines, Indonesian domestic helpers and caregivers not only have to contend with a language barrier but religious differences as well.
"Our Indonesian friends here have limited channels by which they can receive adequate information on labor rights protection, whereas our friends from the Philippines can at least listen to ICRT English programs," Kung said.
Bangun also admitted the language barrier between Indonesian workers and their Taiwanese employers is often difficult to overcome. "In Indonesia, not many people speak Mandarin. But many Indonesians come here to take care of old people, who can only speak Mandarin," Bangun said.
In Susie's case, although she could manage simple conversation in Mandarin, both she and her employer have had difficulties with their inability to communicate with each other.
"I feel really troubled by the fact that I can't communicate with her," said Susie's employer under condition of anonymity.
Professor Cheng pointed out the problems ignited by religious differences between Indonesian workers, the majority of whom are Muslim, and their Taiwanese employers.
"Muslims never eat pork. But in Taiwan, there are very few Muslims and pork is rather popular among locals. So this could lead to difficult situations," Cheng said.
Since the ill-treatment of Indonesian domestic helpers and caregivers is seldom discussed in public, some think the government, both in Taiwan and Indonesia, should do more to protect these guest workers.
Seeking Remedies
One of their urgent calls is for the establishment of a shelter under the umbrella of the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office in Taipei following the example of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei.
"We, together with many local non-governmental organizations such as Rerum Novarum Center for Social Studies and Action, have urged Indonesia's representative office to do this," said Kung.
Ting Nai-hsin (
"I went to Indonesia's representative office to show my concern over the issue. The general consensus is that it would be beneficial to set up a shelter center. After all, the mosque is a religious institution with limited space and resources. For example, we are unable to offer legal counseling here," Ting said.
Iskandar Sabirin, Chairman of the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office in Taipei, said his office has not received any formal requests from local institutions on the issue.
But he said the Ministry of Manpower in Indonesia is currently considering the feasibility of setting up a shelter through his office.
The Taipei City Government is planning to set up a shelter for troubled foreign workers, but the related budget will not be reviewed until the next legislative session, city officials said.
Kung urged Taipei-based Indonesian diplomats to pay attention to the problems faced by Indonesian workers.
"Instead of telling their people that it's a blessing they get to work in Taiwan and that they should cherish such an opportunity, they should understand the predicaments faced by Indonesian workers," Kung said.
"The real problem is whether they do, from the bottom of their heart, care about their fellow Indonesian workers here," she added.
The Indonesian Hotline for the Foreign Workers' Counseling Center is 2536-1506.
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