This is an uncommon story. It's a story about a case in which Transient Workers Count Too decided we couldn't help any further. Like any organisation, funds and volunteers' time are limited, and if we are uncritical, expending resources on less deserving cases, then more deserving ones go unattended. However, this side of our work
Jahangir waited till all seemed very quiet outside the room where he was held. It was 11 p.m. He climbed out of his window and tip-toed across the grass to the fence. Summoning a burst of energy, he climbed and topped it in a single bound, half-tumbling into the jungle on the other side. But
By Spiegel In Bangladesh, men who have returned from labours in distant Singapore often regale their young compatriots with glowing tales of a city of abundant opportunity, where hard work finds good reward. But for many seeking a better living and lured by the promise of this distant island nation, the reality can fall badly
46 men this week join a long list of foreign workers penalised by officialdom for being duped by local companies looking to make a quick buck. Yes, you read that right: They were penalised for being victims. Each has received a letter from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) banning them for working in Singapore for
Shuma supports herself and her two children by taking in sewing, for which she receives about 300 Bangladeshi taka (less than $5) a week. While her husband was alive, he sent home an average of about 20,000 taka a month ($300 - $350 at the rate at that time). This would have been enough to
Neatly dressed and courteously greeting everyone in the office as he made his way to Kenneth's desk, Yang (not his real name) was clearly not your typical construction worker from China. He could even pass as a fashion-conscious Singaporean, which is what happens when a young man has had six or seven years in Singapore.
Following the debate that is swirling around Singapore on the government’s announcement of a day off for foreign domestic workers, I thought it about time someone went into bat for these girls and started talking more about what they do. Sitting here watching May (our maid) take my son off to school today (he’s two
As the events were unfolding, TWC2 posted an update on Facebook. Our Facebook 'friends' responded with outrage. "I think every time the police throw any foreign workers who have just escaped from a fire back into the inferno should be heavily publicise by everyone on the Net," wrote Sing Tay. Gutless added: "Police in Singapore
By Francesca Ummai, a 34-year-old domestic worker from Indonesia remembers a dark stretch of her life when she would cry every night. She was 17-years-old, on her first job as a domestic worker, and her Singaporean employers did not give her a day off. “It was terrible, I had no one to talk to, it
How do you measure compassion online? Or empathy? How do we advocate tolerance towards migrant workers when negative stereotypes are being continually recycled and unchallenged in cyberspace? Civil society is changing shape online but sadly it hasn't brought with it civil discourse. I stumbled upon this article yesterday about the death of two migrant workers
