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Bethune House The Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge Ltd. is a registered charitable institution under the companies’ ordinance in Hong Kong. It was established in 1986 to provide charitable assistance and social counseling to the needy migrant workers and their families. As well, Bethune House also provides free emergency relief and places of refuge for the needy and distressed migrants. Bethune House (or BH as it is usually called) addresses the problems of migrant working women in distress. In our case, we cater to domestic workers who are summarily terminated by their employers and/or forced to leave their employers on various grounds e.g. discrimination, contract violations, rape, sexual and physical abuse, and labour-related conflicts and human rights violations. For more than 18 years now, we have provided temporary shelter to thousands of women migrant workers, 60 % of whom are Filipinos while 40% are non-Filipinos who have been discharged from work due to contract violations, physical and sexual assault, and suffering from sub-standard of living and working conditions. According to the Immigration Department, as of May 2005, there were 220,470 foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong ( Filipinos – 118,630; Indonesian – 93,410; Thais – 4,690; other nationalities – 3,740). Bethune House has existing relations and coordination with the Mission for Filipino Migrant Workers who was established in 1981- the first migrant institution in Asia; the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants - a regional institution based in Hong Kong, United Filipinos in Hong Kong- an alliance of 22 Filipino organizations, Asian Migrant Coordinating Body - an alliance of migrant organizations from other Asian countries (Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines) based in Hong Kong. We have also established relations with St. John’s Cathedral, the Kowloon Union Church, the Methodist Church, Finnish Missionary Society and some Catholic Churches in Hong Kong. We refer cases to Migrante International, a global alliance of migrant organizations based in the Philippines. For more than 4 years, volunteers from Global Justice Volunteers from the United Methodist Church, USA had their placements in Bethune House. We used to have student placements from the Diakonia Institute of Higher Theological Studies in Finland and the Church of Sweden. We have currently forged an agreement with the HK University for students to enlist in their Social Justice Summer Internship programme. These are law students who are given the opportunity to practice what they learn in school by doing voluntary work in the Center. The volunteers assist in the handicraft projects – teach the residents techniques in making Christmas decorations. But most of their time are taken up in accompanying residents to their conciliation meetings, police and court hearings, visit residents who are hospitalized and rescue women from their employer’s house. They also attend and support activities of migrant workers. After their placements, these young women go back to their countries carrying with them the experience and stories that they learn while integrating and being with the migrants in crisis. Bethune House maintains a social center (physical base) where present and past residents can interact and mutually support one another. Our program provides not only the much needed emergency needs and assistance to abused and distressed migrant workers, but also in continuously raising their awareness on their conditions through education and training programs like para-legal training, cultural workshops, current affairs in the host country back home, issues on women, stress management and so on. General Objectives of the Bethune House
Services provided by Bethune House
TEMPORARY SHELTER PROGRAM The economic crisis in Asia of which Hong Kong is very much a part of is bringing additional woes to domestic workers, Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike. Yet, this does not deter the number of migrant domestic workers from increasing due to poverty, landlessness and unemployment back home. As the number of contract violations and human rights transgression increases, the number of displaced and distressed women migrant workers increases as well. Thus, Bethune House, as a temporary shelter for women domestic workers continue to be relevant and much needed. As an alternative shelter for distressed migrant workers, Bethune House not only shelters these women but also provides counseling and guidance, including legal advice to residents and drop-in clients. Bethune House’s temporary shelter program integrates women empowerment as a key component. This means that we not only temporarily house these women but rather we offer opportunities for them to empower themselves through education, para-legal trainings and actual articulation of their struggle (or cases) in the labour tribunal. In the end, we encourage these women to fight for their rights themselves and in the process, they are empowered and become stronger women. There are other churches and institutions who operate their own shelter. Two years ago, we decided to form a Shelter.Net to maximize our services and resources. From time to time, Bethune House and shelters run by the Catholic Church, Methodist church and other charismatic groups meet to discuss how we can coordinate our services. This is a response to the increasing number of women migrants who need temporary shelter. An average of 3-4 new clients per day seek our assistance for food and accommodation. Bethune House serves as a referring agency to other shelters. Most of these shelters only provide temporary accommodation but do not follow up on court cases of their residents. Physical Base and Daily Operations The second floor (1,620 sq. ft.) of a large 2-storey building owned by a Union Church (a Protestant Church) serves as the shelter. We pay rent at a rate around 50% lower than the market price. Since the establishment of Bethune House in 1986, an average of 30 women a night have stayed in the shelter and on several occasions, the number has been as high as 35. We have 11 bunk beds that can accommodate 22 people so others do not mind sleeping on the floor or on the sofa as long as they have available roof over their heads. The flat has one living room, one bedroom for the residents and one small room for the staff who are on-call, 24 hours a day, a mini-office, a kitchen and one toilet and bathroom. The residents themselves share the household chores (marketing, cooking, cleaning and washing). A daily schedule and a set of house policies are provided to systematize the operation of the shelter. There are regular staff-residents meeting where cases and updates on them are discussed with the purpose of education and strengthening the resolve of the residents; there are also days devoted to Bible Studies, sharing of experiences (especially when visitors from the Philippines, Indonesia, Nepal drop by), cultural interactions (rehearsals for performances, etc.) and celebrations of won court cases, or birthdays. This way, the residents are made to feel very much at home and part of the Bethune House family. The sisterhood and camaraderie that develops amongst residents and staff has led to even the formation of “Friends of Bethune House”, an organisation of former Bethune House residents who continue to provide moral support to current residents. In October 2000, the Indonesian residents decided to form their own organization, the Association of Indonesian Migrant Workers to assist other Indonesians who are victims of abuse and exploitation. Members of the Friends of Bethune House and the Association of Indonesian Migrant Worker spend their days off at Bethune House, integrating and providing support to current residents, and joining them (current residents) in their activities (sometimes they even accompany them to the labour tribunal or the courts). CASE MANAGEMENT is closely coordinated with the Mission for Filipino Migrant Workers. There are currently more than 30 residents in the shelter mostly of whom are Filipinos and Indonesians, and a few Sri Lankans, Indians, and Nepalis. All of them had their contracts terminated prematurely and have lodged cases in the court. Most of these women had not been paid wages in lieu of notice, salary, annual leave, airfare, underpayment and rest days. An Indonesian was raped and made to do oral sex almost everyday. Another Indonesian fell from a three storey building and has now recovered from spinal injury. These cases are still on-going. Bethune House residents (like the current more than 30 residents) are usually referred by the Mission for Filipino Migrant Filipinos (MFMW), Association of Sri Lankans (ASL), Far East Overseas Nepalese Association (FEONA), and the Association of Indonesian Migrant Workers (AIMW). Even government offices like the Social Welfare Department, Immigration Department and the Police refer cases to us, a recognition of our valuable service to the migrants. Once admitted, the new clients are given orientation on the house policies of the shelter. Relevant information are taken from the victim so as to get the full picture of the case. Letters are written to the different government agencies to facilitate extension of visitor’s visa and to lodge complaints to get their monetary claims. In the period of waiting for the settlement of their court cases, the residents are legally forbidden to work in Hong Kong. Hence, in addition to their stress in the labor dispute, they have financial difficulties in supporting themselves, not to mention the agony of the fact that they cannot send any financial contribution to their families back home. On an average, clients stay in Bethune House for 3 – 6 months and sometimes for more than one year especially criminal cases. The residents are divided into groups depending on the nature of the case. There are three types of cases- Immigration (i.e. overstaying, illegal work, falsification of legal documents); Labor (violation of the provisions in the employment contract – underpayment or non-payment of wages, insufficient food, long working hours, no accommodation, no rest days); Police (i.e. sexual and physical harassment, theft, child abuse, white slavery). Bethune House also advocates and campaigns for the protection and promotion of the rights and welfare of the migrant workers overseas.
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