Cañada College Student Studies Labor Rights in UAE
Thu, 11 July, 2013 at 7:52 amMatet Malit, a Filipino immigrant, spent the past six months studying Filipino domestic workers
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| Matet (R) with Philippine Ambassador Grace Princesa |
Cañada College student Matet Malit
recently finished a six-month study of Filipino domestic workers in the United
Arab Emirates that included an internship with Migrante International in Dubai,
a Filipino labor rights group.
It is estimated that thousands of
domestic workers from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Ethiopia are
hired each year by families in the UAE and Saudi Arabia and paid
substandard wages. Recently, the Philippines and UAE began discussing a new
agreement outlining the rights of domestic workers.
Malit said the internship was an
eye-opening experience. “I had the opportunity to interview several key
grassroots actors, including the president of Migrante International in UAE as
well as the group's members.” Malit said she conducted policy studies on
runaway domestic workers and other cases involving low-skilled workers. She
reviewed the legal, economic, and political challenges and constraints in
providing labor and employment assistance to Filipino workers.
“At the policy level, I had the
opportunity to assist the Philippine Ambassador to the UAE, Grace Princesa, on
identifying legal and policy challenges in securing labor protection for
household workers in the UAE,” she said.
Last December, Malit spent a month
working for Kanlungan (Shelter), a Philippine
organization in London. There, she assisted domestic workers applying for
citizenship and other labor-related cases. “All of these experiences
have not only deepened my understanding of labor but they’ve also inspired me
to pursue a career in public policy.”
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| Migrante International holds a rally in the UAE |
Malit’s interest in the issue was
sparked by Cañada College History Professor Mike Noonan. “I took Professor
Noonan’s Middle East History class and he instructed us to analyze a current
event in the Middle East. I selected the issue of labor and migration issues of
Filipino workers in the UAE. I focused on the coping mechanisms and experiences
of workers.”
“Cañada has certainly provided me with
excellent training and tools to become an insightful researcher,” she said. “I
want to thank professors Chuck Carlson, Lezlee Ware, and Elizabeth Terzakis for
helping shape my understanding of labor and its relevance in the global
economy. I also want to thank the TRIO program and Melissa Alforja for helping
to facilitate the internship.”
Malit plans to finish her studies at
Cañada and earn an associate’s degree in political science and then apply to UC
Berkeley where she will study public policy.