Abused migrants must report maltreatment at once–CBCP
Migrant Filipino workers are encouraged to report incidence of maltreatment and abuse immediately.
Fr. Edwin Corros, executive secretary of Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)–Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrant and Itinerant People, said many overseas Filipino workers do not report abuses to the Philippine Embassy and family members.
Corros, who spoke at the “Human Rights Issues Confronting the OFWs” forum hosted by the University of San Agustin in Iloilo City recently, said that many OFWs are hiding their real working conditions because they do not want their families to worry.
Some refuse to report that they are being abused for fear of losing their jobs or being sent home without finishing their contract, he added.
Still, Corros said that OFWs must break the “culture of silence” so that the government, non-government organizations, and worker’s welfare associations can help them.
Their story can also move the government to seek enforcement of laws for OFWs in other countries, where it has existing bilateral agreements.
Corros said that families of OFWs should always inquire of the working conditions of their kin and must report to proper authorities cases of abuse.
Records show that most OFWs that are victims of violence were illegally recruited, some through human trafficking or have wrong work documents.
Most of them are women working as domestic workers in the Middle East and even in countries where the deployment of OFWs is banned by the Philippine government.
Western Visayas is one of the top exporters of OFWs in the country. The Philippines has sent around one million OFWs in various countries for the past three years.
Curriculum Review
Meanwhile, Corros urged colleges and universities to review their curriculum as most of them are more likely aimed to send Filipinos abroad.
He said most of the courses offered cater to the labor force of other countries such as United States, Middle East and those Europe.
Corros admitted the government cannot stop young professionals from working abroad, including nurses, teachers and medical graduates, but he said that they should be properly informed and educated of what they are about to face once they leave the country.*PNA
