There was no one to comfort them
Again I saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. And I thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. But better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.
Ecclessiastes 4:1-3
In the midst of thesis work, I am reminded again that there is really nothing new under the sun. What has been, is the same today, and will probably be tomorrow.
The tears of the oppressed, oh yes, I've seen them. My interviewees cry in front of me as they talk about their difficulties and the discrimination they face. And the truth is, pei du mamas are just one small section amongst the large communities of migrant workers.
I attended the talk 'The Migrant Life' last Friday where 2 Thai workers spoke briefly about their life working here in Singapore. Jolovan Wham, the very young director and social worker at Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME), spoke of the state policies which unfortunately make life extremely difficult for many migrant workers, especially maids. For example, the fact that maids are brought in by their employers, have their work permits applied for them by their employers, having to negotiate the contracts with their employers directly, and staying in their house, all these things add up to make the maid extremely vulnerable to abuse. Contract negotiation are supposed to be left up to market forces, and maids technically have every right to negotiate the contract details, but do they really? Many can hardly speak English, others are just too much in the power of the employers. If they ask for a day off, their employers would say 'you want to work, or you don't want to work?', in a thinly veiled threat to cancel their employment passes and send them home.
On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them.
In the process of doing my thesis, I realised that there really are no services for migrants. The main thing is that they are not citizens, and social services in Singapore are largely funded by the Government. No government can allocate any significant amount of funds to help non-citizens, they would just be toppled at the next election. And so, I can understand why HOME is an NGO, because it cannot depend on the government for funding. And also, of course, the advocacy work they do on the legal front for their clients can be a little abrasive against the government's policies.
And so, I was pleasantly surprised last night to find out about Healthserve. Run by an amazing couple of amazing people, including volunteer doctors, nurses and pharmacists, this group is situated right in the heart of Geylang and focus on working with migrant workers, not just on the medical side of things, but also focusing on giving them respect and dignity. Perhaps just the things that they really want.
I realised more yesterday, that for social change to take place, we need to rally together people from all professions. Just to help 1 person. Medical people to help in medication, lawyers to represent him in court to fight for a fair trial, social workers to rally his resources around him and help with his emotional coping, employment agencies to help him get a job, housing people to help get accommodation, sociologists and policy people to change policies that oppress. It's not an easy task.
I'm comforted that there are people who are willing to do it. Of course, the real work is dirty and not as rosy as we think, but at least there are people willing to give it a shot. And as Huili says: 'I found that I could help in a practical way.'
There was no one to comfort them? Maybe now there are.
The tears of the oppressed, oh yes, I've seen them. My interviewees cry in front of me as they talk about their difficulties and the discrimination they face. And the truth is, pei du mamas are just one small section amongst the large communities of migrant workers.
I attended the talk 'The Migrant Life' last Friday where 2 Thai workers spoke briefly about their life working here in Singapore. Jolovan Wham, the very young director and social worker at Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME), spoke of the state policies which unfortunately make life extremely difficult for many migrant workers, especially maids. For example, the fact that maids are brought in by their employers, have their work permits applied for them by their employers, having to negotiate the contracts with their employers directly, and staying in their house, all these things add up to make the maid extremely vulnerable to abuse. Contract negotiation are supposed to be left up to market forces, and maids technically have every right to negotiate the contract details, but do they really? Many can hardly speak English, others are just too much in the power of the employers. If they ask for a day off, their employers would say 'you want to work, or you don't want to work?', in a thinly veiled threat to cancel their employment passes and send them home.
On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them.
In the process of doing my thesis, I realised that there really are no services for migrants. The main thing is that they are not citizens, and social services in Singapore are largely funded by the Government. No government can allocate any significant amount of funds to help non-citizens, they would just be toppled at the next election. And so, I can understand why HOME is an NGO, because it cannot depend on the government for funding. And also, of course, the advocacy work they do on the legal front for their clients can be a little abrasive against the government's policies.
And so, I was pleasantly surprised last night to find out about Healthserve. Run by an amazing couple of amazing people, including volunteer doctors, nurses and pharmacists, this group is situated right in the heart of Geylang and focus on working with migrant workers, not just on the medical side of things, but also focusing on giving them respect and dignity. Perhaps just the things that they really want.
I realised more yesterday, that for social change to take place, we need to rally together people from all professions. Just to help 1 person. Medical people to help in medication, lawyers to represent him in court to fight for a fair trial, social workers to rally his resources around him and help with his emotional coping, employment agencies to help him get a job, housing people to help get accommodation, sociologists and policy people to change policies that oppress. It's not an easy task.
I'm comforted that there are people who are willing to do it. Of course, the real work is dirty and not as rosy as we think, but at least there are people willing to give it a shot. And as Huili says: 'I found that I could help in a practical way.'
There was no one to comfort them? Maybe now there are.
becoz its not an easy task, tt's why most pple only stop at "hoping" that things will change, but its those that take that hoping to realisation that will make a real difference.