Behind Closed Doors

Thesis:  There are unspoken situations that go on globally such as mothers working abroad, that should reach our attention; governments should enforce rights of a person at any given place or time.

            There are some employer’s that state that some of these people shouldn’t be complaining because they have enough rest time, they get treated as family members, they enjoy their job, it’s not too hard, etc.  As Diego Salvatierra quoted Katrina Garib in the Yale Globalist article, “Yes, they may wake up at 7 a.m. and cook dinner at 7 p.m., but they spend a lot of time in between doing nothing.” Some domestic workers complain that they don’t have enough free time away from the families that they take care of (Including their boss’ and their children’s).  But what others may not know is that these people do have a lot of spare time in between their work time to relax, and do what they want to do themselves.  These people should be grateful for the conditions they work in, “ I paid my nanas above the minimum wage, which is very common; they’re better off than others, and shouldn't complain so much.” Live-in maids do not pay rent and get free food, she added” (Diego Salvatierra).   Live-in maids should be thankful that there’s a few boss’ out there that would actually pay them higher than the minimum wage, and would give them enough luxury to have their own free time within their work hours.

            Even as other employer’s argue that some of them pay their live-in maids more than enough, and give them enough free time; one employer does not speak for all employer’s of live-in maids across the globe.  Even if one live-in maid were lucky enough to work for a compatible employer, there are many employer’s out there who mistreat or exploit their maids/nannies.  There are many employer’s that may also tell their neighbors and the public that they treat their maids the best and have them live in the best conditions, but in reality, their maids are the ones suffering behind closed doors.  “While cases of such harsh treatment are rare, Hong Kong’s policies on migrant workers have often made maids reluctant to report abuse for fear of losing their livelihoods and being deported if they fail to find new jobs swiftly. No formal charges have yet been made against the Hong Kong employer, who also reportedly threatened to kill Erwiana and her family if she revealed the abuse she suffered”(James Pomphret).  Many of these people are being threatened if they speak, or dare to leave, and many of these live-in maids go through horrific situations that not many people even know of.  These people should be properly protected and need our help globally.  One employer can’t speak for the other thousands of employer’s, as there’s hundred’s of maids known to be or have been abused out there.