Save The World

[Admin]

You probably already know I try to do things to help people, and one subject I feel strongly about, but can never come up with something is help for maids in Asia.

Most suffer horrific abuse, and are to scared to do anything about it, even in Singapore I've seen it happen myself a few times. Even though 2 employers have just recently been lashed and sentenced to 20 years each for phyiscal torture to their maid.

Setting up a forum would be an idea, but how many Indonesian/Ski Lankan maids have computer access. Even most of the Filipino maids who are computer literate can struggle to get on the Net.

Search for Maid Help, or other keywords, and very little comes up, sort of the forgotten workers.

Would be nice to at least try and do something.

[ginapeterb]

So what can we do here to help Keith ??

[Admin]

I was hoping you'd tell me ;D

Maybe add another thread, and fiddle with the keywords to see if I can catch any. I doubt the keywords on Overture would cost more than 10p a click.

Not even sure what I'd do if one said they were being beaten, apart from the scouse thing and go out their and beat the **** out of the employer ;D

Informing the local authorities usually means a long drawn out procedure and loss of job in most countries, although I know Singapore takes it very seriously.

It is usually the Asain employers themselves that are the worst, most Westerners (not all though), tend to treat the maids with some respect.

[peterdavid]

Ill treated maids are really just the tip of a massive iceberg - more often they think they're going to be a maid and end up as a sex slave for some arrogant japanese businessman/yakuza.

Smuggling and abusing filipinos like this around asia is pretty endemic - and is allowed to prosper because filipino 'recruiters' go around recruiting fellow filipinos with promises of wealth and freedom - selling out their country men and women just to earn themselves a paltry few dollars. They know full well what will happen t the people they haev recruited. Despite what they say, there is no loyalty, just an incredible ability to turn a blind eye and convince themselves they are doing nothing wrong.

The government knows it goes on, they do nothing to stop it because they don't want to lose the dollar remittances. The police are too corrupt and self serving to make any attempt at stopping the recruiters - why should they when they can just get a cut as well?

Government action in this respect is shameful and pathetic. That filipinos would willingly and knowlingly send other filipinos to a life of abuse and forced prostitution is appalling. That they can't stop stealing from each other and would rather take a cut of a few dollars for themselves instead of taking any concerted action to protect each other is sickening.

There is no political or national will to prevent these abuses happening in the country of those most affected - and until you get that, the problem will self perpetuate, regardless of how appalling we find it here in the UK. The government only cares about 'saving face' in front of other countries (quite laughable that they are so self deluded into thinking other countries are so stupid they can't see for themselves) - therefore if it is a hidden problem like this, which they think no one else can see, they don't care - they think they are not losing 'face'.

I agree with you Keith, on an individual basis it is appalling and should not happen. But until their own government actually takes proper action to address it, any other attempts to help will falter at the first hurdle.

[Admin]

I wasn't thinking of restructuring the Asian govermental structures ;D, just offering somewhere to talk ;)

Well written though, being a scouser I would have just used one word...Tankers.....Oops :o...miss typed!!! ::)

[ginapeterb]

Yes I am afraid..that Filipino's especially women are the most traficked race of people on this earth, they often end up in sexual slavery, in all corners of the globe, very similar to young boys who end up as camel jockeys in the Emirates, and end up dying young, when they fall off.

Young children and young women are often kidnapped and moved around the world to satisfy the hareems of the middle east, ending up in places they cannot get out of, most governments knows this goes on, there is a famous book written by one of the few international detectives who worked in the United States, his travels took him all over the world, to Guatemala, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Brazil, and the amount of money that is made from Child prostitution is staggering, national governments are fully aware, but spend little or no money on stopping it, I could take you now to a whole street in Manor Park London E12, I know it well, its packed with massage palours, every other shop is a nocking shop, its full of Eastern European women, many of them Ethnic Russians, beautiful blonde girls, who come here as bond slaves, they are bought and paid for, by gangmasters, you can buy one for £5000.00 and she will work 24 hours a day servicing clients to repay your investment, some gangmasters are so mean, they wont allow them out of the shop, they bring them burgers and chips to eat in their breaks so that they dont have to come out.

This is but one place, I know of, I drive past it every other week, the places are well known to me, not that I have been in them of course I haven't its just that I have worked the area for years, and the women are definately bond slaves, bond slavery we thought ended years ago, hmmm it still goes on, a bond slave is a person who has to repay a debt...paid for by the owner, the owner either pays the family money, and the girl has to work it off, but she is in slavery forever, some of them think they are coming to work in pubs and clubs as hostesses, little do they know that when they arrive in UK on the back of trucks, they are to be traficked into sexual slavery, the problem is just so big, that national police forces are not equipped to crack down on it, the Book called "Shambu" makes frightening reading, when you know how much money is made in the traficking of women in sexual slavery around the world, it is nearly 1 Trillion US Dollars a year, one third of the US. Federal budget, we are talking her about serious money, no national police forces can handle that sort of threat, considering that the UK National budget is 220 Billion pounds a year, you will see why the UK Metropolitan Police force has little or no budget for it, there are only 12 Detectives working this trade in the whole of the Metropolitan Police force.


Still think we can help ??

[Admin]

I was only considering setting up keywords so those who have computer access could find somewhere to chat, and I was talking about maids, not the sex industry.

The people who use dating sites are looking for a change of life, a way out from the life they are in now, I was just considering widening the portfolio a bit.

My friends in Singpore spent yesterday going around the meeting places of Filipino maids telling them about the site, whether they have internet access is the problem though.

As with the reason I set up this site initially, if I can make one Filipino happy, then it's worth the effort. The fact this site has now helped many is a massive bonus.

[ginapeterb]

I think that is nice Keith, so your freinds in Singapore, are going around the maids..letting them know of this site..is that true ! thats great if they did, are the maids not let out to go and have quiet time on their own, surely they must be allowed some time off.

Although I do not know their status or situation, I noticed that the Hong Kong maids, do congregate sometimes down by Star Ferry station in Hong Kong Island, because some of them were talking when Gina and I were in Hong Kong, Gina picked them out straight away, and said they are speaking Ilongo, they do tend to meet up for a chat, do the other maids not do the same in Singapore.

[Admin]

They all meet up in Lucky Plaza on a Sunday next to our hotel, so I get a good perv ;D

The majority of them have Western employers though, those with chinese usually have it bad, seldom being let out even though it is in breach of Singapore law. The Japanese treat them bad as well, no respect, consider them a lower life form. B'stards.. >:(

One of our friends has been with the same Chinese employer 10+ years, and is supposed to be a child minder, they recently moved their wheelchair bound mother in, so when they are at work, our friend has to care fore her as well, and she's a bitch.

Her contract is up next month, were just waiting to see what she does, but have offered her financial help if she goes home. I already have someone in Wales talking to her, hope they hit it off.

[ginapeterb]

Keith I have found a help center in London for Filipino's its a registered Charity, I will get the details and post them on the forum tomorrow, its called the Filipino Center, its up in West London somewhere.