Migrants celebrate ‘One Billion Rising’ campaign

Migrant workers in Macau celebrated the annual “One Billion Rising” (OBR) revolution campaign yesterday at Tap Seac Square, which this year focuses on the theme “Solidarity Against Exploitation of Women.”

The global campaign, launched on Valentines Day in 2012, is aimed at ending violence against women.

The “billion” refers to the statistics of the United Nations that show 1 in 3 women will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. Thus the group aims to “to change the paradigm, demand accountability, justice and systematic change.”

OBR has also focused on the issue of justice for all survivors of gender violence, and highlighted the impunity that lives at the intersection of poverty, racism, and war amongst others.

Held in the region for the fourth time, OBR Macau organizers Migrante Macau told the Times that it is significant for the group to raise awareness on domestic violence and abuse in Macau.

Sub-themed as “Rise! Disrupt! Connect!” the Filipino migrant group association has invited some 23 churches and migrant organization to join the movement in the territory.

The highlight of the event was the dance number the migrant workers performed. Co-organized by the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union, Filipino and Indonesian migrant workers danced the OBR dance.

Explicating the importance of the event, Migrante Macau chairperson said, “We, should stand against harassment, abuse, and discrimination amongst women and children.”

“We’re holding this campaign [in Macau] to also help stop exploitation. I know that together we can overcome what we are fighting for,” Emerlina de Lina added, hinting at the exploitation a particular group of domestic workers are facing.

De Lina could not resist but recall how a number of her compatriots are mistreated in the region, particular those who work in domestic households.

“Of course exploitation is still present amongst domestic helpers because there is no standard contract, in which salaries are not equal. […] Some are underpaid, some are paid quite well,” she lamented.

However, the association’s chairperson is thankful that there are not many cases of domestic violence in Macau.

Meanwhile, a member of the association Jovy Zabala stressed that the campaign does not particularly serve the migrants who participated in the event but rather local women – particularly to those who have been abused and maltreated.

“This isn’t really for us but it’s for the abused women that we care for. We’re doing this because we want be a part of the women who are rising against all kinds of abuse,” said Zabala.

The global campaign aims to show its local communities what one billion looks like and shine a light on the rampant impunity and injustice that survivors often face.

“We rise through dance to express joy and community and  celebrate the fact that we have not been defeated by this violence. We rise to show we are determined to create a new kind of consciousness – one where violence will be resisted until it is unthinkable,” as cited on the OBR organization’s website.

Brian Hall, assistant professor of psychology at the University of Macau (UM) – who also currently conducts a research on the region’s migrant workers’ physical and mental health – hoped that local women’s associations would participate in next year’s OBR campaign.

Although Hall commended the migrant workers for initiating an annual event that raises awareness in the local community, the professor offered his belief that significant changes could happen if local associations participated.

“It would be great if next year we could come to this event and see a very diverse group of people come together,” he told the Times.

Hall explained that migrant associations could reach out to local associations that focus on understanding domestic violence to be a more effective movement.

Commenting on the over-time hours of migrant workers, Hall noted that the preliminary data collected on such workers shows that there is a significant number of workers being overworked.

“They’re working a lot of hours. Some of them are working seven days a week, upwards 60 to 70 hours a week. So the data that we’re collecting is actually kind of showing that there is an excess in the number of working hours per week,” said the scholar.

“So in terms of that exploitation, the next step is to understand what the negotiation is between the employer and domestic worker,” he added.

Yet, the academic researcher argued that exploitation is a subjective determination, citing that there are house helpers who overwork yet are being treated like family by their employers.

“I think some of the subjectivity gets lost [on whether] it’s exploitative or not. I think there’s a grey zone here,” he concluded.