It is a sad reality for many Filipinas that they have to work abroad as domestic helpers to feed their families back in the Philippines. While the pay is good compared with what they receive for the same job in the Philippines, the work conditions are sometimes worse – and many don’t even enjoy the luxury of a day off.
But even those who have days off may not be enjoying the day as a real rest day.
Take for instance this post coming from Facebook page, OFWs in Hong Kong. One domestic helper complained how her employers don’t really treat her days off as a real day off.
Photo credit: OFWs in HongKong / Facebook
Before leaving their employers’ homes, these OFWs are expected to have already cleaned up the place, fed and bathed the kids, and have lunch (plus dinner) ready.
But after a day of supposed rest, the OFWs return to a dirty home where everything is so topsy turvey that the domestic helper has to spend the rest of the night cleaning up after the mess.
So, even if they had a few hours of rest that day, they end up getting tired at night because they still have to make sure the house is clean again before they sleep.
Many called this abuse and hoped that the employers would reconsider and try to clean up after themselves but a lot of OFWs chimed in to reveal that many employers are really like that – and as a lowly worker, you can’t exactly tell them they should clean up their mess when it’s your day off, right?
It’s certainly difficult to change these employers’ mindset but we hope the practice will be changed soon.
What ways can you suggest for the authorities to follow?