The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said on Sunday that the government should deploy overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) only to foreign countries that can guarantee the protection of rights of migrant workers as provided under the amended Migrant Workers’ Act.
Human Rights Commissioner Gwendolyn Pimentel-Gana said this in a statement following the death of Joanna Demafelis whose body was found in a freezer which urged the government to implement a total deployment ban to Kuwait, reported Inquirer.
“Joanna’s tragic death on the hands of her cruel employers underscore[s] the need to ensure that every aggrieved OFW has access to justice in the country where he or she works,” Gana said.
Gana also said that the Philippine government should look for certainties, such as existing labor and social laws protecting the rights of migrant workers, before deploying OFWs in a specific country.
“The law is very clear. For it to be properly implemented, we need stronger and sustainable partnerships between and among government and the private sector, as well as civil society and OFW groups, to ensure that migrant workers’ rights are being monitored,” Gana said.
The CHR has earlier expressed support on the move of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to suspend the deployment of newly hired OFWs to Kuwait.
Gana is hoping that the deployment ban would urge employers and recruitment agencies in Kuwait “to reflect and adopt the necessary reforms to strengthen and uphold the rights of migrant workers, especially those working as domestic workers.”
On the other hand, House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez also said that the Philippine government should resolve the issues of abused OFWs in Kuwait “with caution and diplomacy” so that it will not further affect the economic security of other Filipino workers.
“It is the government’s duty to protect our countrymen working abroad. But both sides should practice restraint,” he said on Saturday.
Suarez said that there really are “bad eggs” among employers abroad but, according to him, “that should not set a precedent to stop the relationship between Kuwait and the Philippines”.
