14 September 2015 – Filipino community leaders in Egypt pledged to do more for Filipina household service workers (HSWs) in need during a Gender and Development (GAD) roundtable hosted by the Philippine Embassy in Cairo.
Many Filipina HSWs arrive in Egypt illegally and become vulnerable to different forms of abuse from their employers, including delayed or unpaid salaries, overwork, restricted movement, and physical and psychological maltreatment.
Attendees at the roundtable put forward several proposals to assist these HSWs, among them: holding orientation seminars for new HSW arrivals in Egypt; creating a Filipino community volunteer corps; and conducting livelihood programs and charity drives to benefit distressed HSWs at the Embassy’s shelter.
The Embassy also sought the Filipino community’s assistance in disseminating its informational brochures on living and working in Egypt as HSWs.
The roundtable was conducted in support of Section 31 of Republic Act No. 9710 or the Magna Carta for Women, which calls for the provision of gender-responsive, rights-based and culture-sensitive services and interventions for women in especially difficult circumstances. It also served as the introduction of the newly-arrived Philippine Ambassador to Egypt Leslie J. Baja to the Filipino community. END