International Women’s Day
In the Philippines, 60 percent of migrant workers are women. For the past two decades, an average of 172,000 migrant workers deployed overseas were women.
The Philippine government can choose to propagate the notion that these women migrant workers are heroes, with over $31 billion in remittances in 2022 that help keep the Philippine economy afloat. They may indeed be heroes, especially to their families, but theirs is the sacrifice that the Philippine government is more than willing to barter, even at the expense of their families suffering the brutal effects of forced migration and family separation.
These are the Filipino women and mothers who care for other children and parents and who nurture others’ homes, which are thousands of miles away from their own. Behind every domestic worker, caregiver, nanny is a woman who endures the heartbreak of leaving their families, while working on a foreign land in order to provide for them. Some experience anti-Asian hate and violence, many are labor trafficking and wage theft survivors, and most experience discrimination and racism. We value not just the contribution, but the rights and dignity of these women, who share so much of themselves, and who deserve to be with their family once more without the cost of poverty.
As part of our mission, Damayan aims to empower these women who are part of us. We see clearly the system that feeds on our struggles, because it knows we will always endure for our families. As we work hard to provide for our families, we also aim to know our rights, to fight for them, and to educate others. We relearn our history, we gather our stories, and we equip ourselves and each other with collective knowledge. We continue to take part in our community, and we build our power together. Today, on International Women’s Day, Damayan stands with all Filipino migrant women, who are familiar with sacrifice and struggle for the sake of our families, and rise up together as one community, in power and in solidarity. #Internationalwomensday #Womanempowerment #DamayanMigrantWorkers #DamayanMigrants #Damayan
Source: UN Women