foreign domestic workers in singapore: a neglected social issue
Sample Chapter(s) It examines the ways in which this unprecedented communication tool changed how social issues are raised and discussed, and the consequent impact on the issues themselves, the people these issues are about, civil society, citizens and the government. Not only does this make it difficult to recognise their care work as a legitimate occupation or to manage work-life boundaries, it can also affect public perception of equal wages for domestic workers as well as female migrant workers in general. More recently, in late September 2020 a woman, Nuur Audadi Yusoff, admitted to repeatedly abusing domestic worker Sulis Setyowati, causing her to climb 15 floors down to escape. Illegal recruiters are also a risk for foreign workers seeking domestic or nondomestic work. Foreign domestic workers are a conspicuous presence in Singapore. Foreign domestic workers (FDWs) are indispensable to many households in Singapore and make important contributions to the economy and community. Online services and forms for Work Permit for migrant domestic worker transactions. Asia, Pacific He also does volunteer work as scientific advisor to the National Volunteerism and Philanthropy Centre. Clearing these debts takes an average of 28 months. However, there is a lack of empirical research with this population . Sample Chapter(s)Foreword (50 KB)Chapter 1: Ageing in Singapore: Social Issues and Policy Challenges (417 KB), https://doi.org/10.1142/9789814632621_fmatter, https://doi.org/10.1142/9789814632621_0001. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789814632621_0013, In the past 50 years, Singapore has gone through a revolution: physically, socially and economically. Find publications, guides and videos that are useful for both migrant domestic workers and their employers. In May 2021, the government warned the US Embassy not to interfere in domestic political or social matters, including how sexual orientation should be dealt with in public policy, after the embassy co-hosted a webinar with a Singapore nongovernmental organization that supports LGBTIQ individuals. He writes regularly on social issues as an invited columnist for The Straits Times and appears regularly on Channel NewsAsia current affairs television programmes. An earlier HOME report argued that the work of foreign domestic workers in Singapore, who earn in the range of S$300 (US$215) and S$400 (US $287) per month, is largely invisible and unregulated, and that their plight is mostly invisible in the private sphere of their employers households.. Women domestic workers continue to form the bulk of Indonesian migrant workers, accounting for 90 percent of the latter in July 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rights of LGBT people in Singapore are severely restricted. What actually happens for FDWs in Singapore? We use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience. You are using a version of browser which will not be supported after 27 May 2018. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789814632621_0008. statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account. 5uPC E$&+xewgI20K_yFH=R Ds\*"EM6I|:Fu9`bC"D ~ Singapore's transition from a young, rapidly growing, high fertility population into a rapidly ageing one with prolonged low, below replacement fertility and low domestic population growth is one of the most significant social transformations the country has undergone over the last fifty years (Yap, 2010, p. 183). Work permits of migrant workers in Singapore are tied to a particular employer, leaving them extremely vulnerable to exploitation. This often occurs without oversight. Indeed, foreign domestic workers, or "maids" as they are widely referred to in Singapore, are now a crucial part of Singapore's care and housekeeping landscape, enabling scores of Singaporean women (and, more indirectly, men as well) to go out to work each day or simply enjoy more quality time. This worker, the report states, felt really uncomfortable knowing that the camera was in the room and that her privacy was being violated, with her employer watching her every action. HOME states that the use of CCTV cameras to spy on domestic workers has become a common practice in Singapore. D Billions may flip the script. However, under provisions introduced in 2012, judges have some discretion to bypass the mandatory penalty and sentence low-level offenders to life in prison and caning. The measurement of race has been pivotal in the social and political history of Singapore. (7[oL;uW1K=mGlnN?[y Many FDWs have described their training centres as prisonlike, where they were taught to be submissive instead of being made aware of their rights under their destination countrys laws. We begin with a description of the current day scene. He was sentenced to a fine of S$8,000 (US$5,900) or imprisonment for 32 days. While some believe they can seek help from their respective embassies and local authorities, many are unfamiliar with Singapores justice system, resources, and channels for pursuing justice should they be accused of a crime in turn. It places this migration in the. The perception of FDWs in the eyes of the law is further complicated by the publics and MOMs view of paid domestic work as familial and unique, unlike other employment-based forms of work. 167-187 (2015), https://doi.org/10.1142/9789814632621_0010, Measuring Race, Mixed Race, and Multiracialism in Singapore. Share this via Facebook ", Ministry of Manpower (Singapore), Number of migrant domestic workers employed in Singapore from 2013 to 2021 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/953137/singapore-foreign-domestic-workers-employed/ (last visited June 08, 2023), Number of migrant domestic workers employed in Singapore from 2013 to 2021 [Graph], Ministry of Manpower (Singapore), August 2, 2022. Defense, China You need to apply for a Work Permit if you are hiring a migrant domestic worker (MDW) in Singapore. David Chan received his PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Michigan State University. While it is legally mandatory for FDWs to possess their own identification, work, and contractual documents, many workers have noted that their employers keep their passports and work permits for at least two years. F C'o,"JzoO o&1"ol@5)3SA[! Today, Singapore is seeing rising awareness about foreign domestic workers challenges. Indeed, foreign domestic workers, or "maids" as they are widely referred to in Singapore, are now a crucial part of Singapore's care and housekeeping landscape, enabling scores of Singaporean women (and, more indirectly, men as well) to go out to work each day or simply enjoy more quality time. The former lists FDWs legal work conditions, such as their entitlement to sick leave, a weekly rest day without pay (including Sunday and public holidays), and a contract in writing. New Naratif, an online media outlet focusing on issues in Southeast Asia, was accused of violating campaign regulations during the 2020 general election by paying to boost certain posts. Some Pakistanis are worried about Gwadars considerable reliance on Iranian electricity, especially in the context of U.S. opposition to trade with Iran. Migrant workers at a building construction site in Singapore, May 29, 2021. Please check your inbox for the reset password link that is only valid for 24 hours. On the other hand, FDWs need written approval from their current employer to switch employers, which can make it very tough for an FDW to seek better working conditions elsewhere or even escape harm. Foreign domestic workers in Singapore: Social and historical perspectives. The government can also designate individualsas politically significant persons, after which they may be required to follow strict limits on sources of funding and to disclose all links with foreigners. In some cases, a domestic workers salary is withheld by her employer for about six monthseven though the MOM has not allowed employers to withhold their FDWs salary since 2019. In Singapore, there are over 230,000 migrant domestic workers (MDWs). FDWs also elevate the economies of their home countries through remittances to their families. We use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience. Disability has been constantly defined and redefined according to the needs and dominant values of the time and place. Mutual respect and tolerance have become part of our DNA. Last month, the city-state canceled the work permit of a Bangladeshi laborer who had become an outspoken advocate of Singapore's migrant worker population. The, Research on transnational care work has tended to focus on the migration of women for either domestic work or nursing, and the two bodies of work have remained largely separate. The interview below has been condensed and edited for clarity. Unscrupulous agencies that violate workers rights during recruitment and orientation instead of protecting them are also common. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/953137/singapore-foreign-domestic-workers-employed/, Number of migrant domestic workers employed in Singapore from 2013 to 2021, Immediate access to statistics, forecasts & reports, Labor force participation rate in Singapore 2012-2021, Resident labor force Singapore 2021, by educational attainment, Male labor force participation rate in Singapore 2012-2021, Employed residents aged 15 years and above Singapore 2021, by industry, Annual employment change in Singapore 2015-2021, by sector, Employment rate for residents aged 25 to 64 years in Singapore 2012-2021, Seasonally-adjusted resident unemployment rate Singapore 2012-2021, Youth unemployment rate in Singapore 2012-2021, Retrenchment numbers in Singapore 2012-2021, Job vacancy to unemployed persons in Singapore 2012-2021, Median monthly income Singapore 2012-2021, by employment status, Annual wage change Singapore 2012-2021, by industry, Average monthly earnings per employee in Singapore 2012-2021, by gender, Median monthly starting salary of local university graduates in Singapore 2012-2021, Median monthly starting salary of local polytechnic graduates in Singapore 2012-2021, Median monthly starting salary of ITE graduates in Singapore 2012-2021, Real value added per actual hour worked and per worker growth in Singapore 2015-2021, Change in value added per actual hour worked Singapore 2012-2021, Change in value added per worker Singapore 2012-2021, Average paid hours worked a week per employee in Singapore 2012-2021, Breakdown of foreign workforce in Singapore 2021, by work permit, Number of migrant domestic workers in Singapore 2013-2021, Skilled foreign workforce numbers in Singapore 2013-2021, Employment passes issued under Tech.Pass scheme Singapore 2021, Number of female migrant domestic workers in Bahrain 2005-2016, Number of female domestic workers in GCC by country 2016, Number of female non-Saudi domestic workers in Saudi Arabia H1 2020, by occupation, Number of female migrant domestic workers in Kuwait by Nationality 2017, Ratio of female domestic worker to non-national employment in the GCC by region 2016, Number of female migrant domestic workers in Kuwait 2015-2017, Number of non-Saudi domestic workers in Saudi Arabia 2016-H1 2020, by gender, Number of migrant domestic workers in Oman by gender 2010-2016, Number of Indonesians working in the United States 2012-2019, Ratio of male domestic worker to non-national employment in the GCC by region 2016, Number of migrant domestic workers in Bahrain 2005-2016, Female-to-male ratio in work environment in Pakistan in 2016, by type, Female-to-male ratio in work environment in New Zealand in 2016, by type, Distribution of migrant workers in the Netherlands 2018, by industry, Tech workplace: experience with gender discrimination 2020 in U.S., by gender, Female-to-male ratio in work environment in Vietnam in 2016, by type, Share of employees South Korea 2020, by gender, Employment of women in agriculture, forestry, fishery South Korea 2000-2019, Find your information in our database containing over 20,000 reports. Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME), Southeast At the root of these cases, HOME argues, is a stark power imbalance between employer and employee, and that Singapore needs to extend its current legislative protections to encompass these less obvious forms of mistreatment. Another was kept under watch by an elaborate system of CCTV cameras, including one in the room that she slept in, and forced to work 16-hour days. Such caning constitutes torture under international law. As Michael Barnett and Martha Finnemore (1999) have argued, international organisations today, despite their apparent weaknesses, are powerful expert institutions that set standards and norms for the world, https://doi.org/10.1142/9789814632621_0010, Foreign domestic workers are a conspicuous presence in Singapore. Allegations of illegal immigration from Myanmar, involving members of the Kuki-Chin ethnic group, contributed to the recent ethnic violence that claimed more than 80 lives. 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