As an immigrant, ate, and anak of a former migrant domestic worker, I have fortunately been surrounded by other Filipina migrant domestic workers growing up. These resilient women were the sole breadwinners of their families, with some leaving behind their children to work overseas. Thankfully, all of their stories end happily with permanent residency or newly found citizenship and welcoming experiences from their former employers. However, this is not the collective experience among all Filipina migrant domestic workers, as my research explores.

I use my voice to recognize the women and families who have been neglected by the justice system. My unique experiences have and will continue to transpire throughout my academic and professional journey, where I will pursue raising awareness of the gender-based violence and human rights struggles of Filipina migrant domestic workers across the world.

My Vision Statement

I envision my capstone as a portal showcasing my hard work and accomplishments in the Social Justice and Human Rights (SJHR) program. My capstone aspires to contribute to Filipino research and literature in Western academia, as I seldom come across research on my ethnic group of people in Western academia. I hope my capstone can bring attention to the anti-human rights crisis of Filipina migrant domestic workers by starting a dialogue within the Filipino diaspora, where it can optimistically be built on to create more impactful change in the future. My primary audience is first- and second-generation Filipinos in North America who, themselves, are migrant domestic workers or who have family members who are migrant domestic workers. I hope to present myself as a researcher and writer, where I can reflect on my positionality as a Filipino immigrant in Canada who is also a child of a former migrant domestic worker. Growing up, I have been encircled by tita’s and ate’s who were migrant domestic workers. Although most of their experiences with employers were positive, it is unfortunately not universal. Therefore, this capstone is important not only to my family and myself but also to my community, as it will resonate with many Filipinos with similar experiences. It is common within the Filipino diaspora to know of a strong female figure who has migrated abroad in search of better opportunities for their family. However, it is not as common to know the hardships and violent circumstances that can accompany migrant domestic work.