October 24, 2014

Led by FASS Professor Mohan J. Dutta (Head, Communications & New Media Department), CARE (Centre for Culture-Centered Approach to Research and Evaluation) launched their first campaign, to create awareness among Singaporeans about the rights of the Foreign Domestic Workers (FDWs) in Singapore. “Respect Our Rights” is held in collaboration with NGOs such as Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) and Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE).

In the white paper, ‘Bruised and Abused: The Perils of Everyday Domestic Work’, Prof Mohan and his two Research Assistants, Ms Satveer Kaur and Ms Sarah Comer, discuss CARE’s ethnographic research of FDWs in Singapore who have been sheltered at HOME. The article also calls for urgent address of the health rights of FDWs.

Despite a bill introduced this October by Member of Parliament Mr Christopher de Souza to enforce and tighten the human trafficking laws in Singapore, activist groups are advocating better measures to protect the workers.

At present CARE has conducted approximately 50 interviews, 3 focus groups, and 11 advisory board meetings with FDWs in a bid to better assess the constraints they face living in Singapore. In addition, CARE has been working closely with HOME on fostering spaces for FDWs to share their stories.

For more on the research by CARE, visit our SRN database of publications.

For more on the article by CARE, click here.

For more on The Straits Times article, click here.

To learn more about the “Respect Our Rights” campaign, visit the campaign website and view the FDW Documentary Trailer, released as part of the campaign launch on 21 October 2014.