call from filipina migrant to take actions

A CALL FROM
FILIPINA MIGRANT
WORKERS
TO TAKE ACTION

by Save the Children

Protect the sexual health rights of Filipina overseas migrants
Policymakers must ensure that the sexual health rights of migrant workers are protected. All Filipinas
have a right to reproduce and to have access to health care services to ensure healthy pregnancy and child birth, in addition to safe, effective, and
affordable methods of family planning. Filipina
migrants must also be protected from sexual
harassment and abuse.
• Enhance the capacity of Philippine embassies and consulates in host countries and concerned government agencies in the Philippines on
gender-sensitivity, recognition of reproductive rights, and how to address and respond to
violations of rights;
• Ensure that all women migrants, whether documented or not, are provided with holistic services, including health, counseling and legal
assistance, and can safely and easily report abuses without fear of deportation;
• Enhance and expand counseling and
reintegration services available to returning and deported women and their families, particularly for those who have been forcibly expelled due to pregnancy or contraction of any illness or disease;
• Direct specific interventions to gender-specific jobs and the individualized service industry where women are more vulnerable, particularly in domestic and entertainment work;
• Provide venues for Filipina migrant workers to identify issues and responses together towards a more strengthened advocacy;
• Monitor existing migration policies of host countries
that have a direct impact on the labor rights and reproductive health of Filipina migrant workers,
and ensure that Filipina migrant workers are regularly updated;
• Mandate recruitment agencies and concerned government agencies to provide access to educational
materials on sexual rights in both the Philippines and host countries;

Improve access to reproductive health services and information

Filipina migrant workers should be able to
access comprehensive reproductive health
information and services before, during, and after their work abroad. The Philippine government,
host countries, recruitment agencies and civil society organizations should work together to develop and strengthen mechanisms which would increase the awareness of Filipina migrant workers on their rights and provide them
access to quality reproductive health services.
• Invest in expanding the insurance plan of Filipina migrant workers highlighting a
comprehensive health package. This should
include family planning services and
commodities, counselling, maternal and child health packages, and safe, confidential and accessible services for preventing, testing, and responding to sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS;
• Share the cost of protection of migrant workers with host countries, including
providing health benefits and access to
reproductive health services and information
and upholding employee contracts;
• Collaborate with local and international non-government organizations and private medical agencies to strengthen referral systems and response mechanisms for the prevention of abuse and violations.
• Institutionalize comprehensive reproductive health education for Filipina migrant workers
throughout the employment cycle. This includes information on the prevention of STIs and HIV/AIDS, safe pregnancies, family planning services, maternal and child health, and how to report and obtain assistance in the event of abuse or rights violations.

Protect the sexual health rights of Filipina overseas migrants

Policymakers must ensure that the sexual health rights of migrant workers are protected. All Filipinas
have a right to reproduce and to have access to health care services to ensure healthy pregnancy and child birth, in addition to safe, effective, and
affordable methods of family planning. Filipina
migrants must also be protected from sexual
harassment and abuse.
• Enhance the capacity of Philippine embassies and consulates in host countries and concerned government agencies in the Philippines on
gender-sensitivity, recognition of reproductive rights, and how to address and respond to
violations of rights;
• Ensure that all women migrants, whether documented or not, are provided with holistic services, including health, counseling and legal
assistance, and can safely and easily report abuses without fear of deportation;
• Enhance and expand counseling and
reintegration services available to returning and deported women and their families, particularly for those who have been forcibly expelled due to pregnancy or contraction of any illness or disease;
• Direct specific interventions to gender-specific jobs and the individualized service industry where women are more vulnerable, particularly in domestic and entertainment work;
• Provide venues for Filipina migrant workers to identify issues and responses together towards a more strengthened advocacy;
• Monitor existing migration policies of host countries
that have a direct impact on the labor rights and reproductive health of Filipina migrant workers,
and ensure that Filipina migrant workers are regularly updated;
• Mandate recruitment agencies and concerned government agencies to provide access to educational
materials on sexual rights in both the Philippines and host countries;