Here’s the announcement from the embassy:

CONSULAR OUTREACH MISSION IN DENMARK (July 3-4, 2009)

The Philippine Embassy will be conducting mobile Machine Readable Passporting Services and manual Overseas Absentee Voting Registration in Copenhagen, Denmark from July 3 to 4 (Friday to Saturday) at the following venue with the following schedules:

VENUE:

STORSAL, SKT. ANNÆ KIRKE (ST. ANN CHURCH)
Hans Bogbinders Allé 2, 2300 Copenhagen S
by public transportation – take bus 5A and get-off at Tycho Brahes Allé)
SCHEDULE:

 

July 3 & 4:     9 AM-12 NN,  1 PM – 6 PM
Kindly refer to the Philippine Embassy in Norway website for the Machine Readable Passport (MRP) application requirements and make sure to bring COMPLETE requirements. Please make sure to include a photocopy of the data page of your old passport and its amendments page if any change have been made to your details in your passport. Application forms may be downloaded from the website.

Meanwhile, all Filipino citizens 18 years old and above who are eligible to vote are encouraged to to register. All interested registrants should bring three (3) passport size ID pictures and their valid Philippine passports.

For more information about the Machine Readable Passport, Overseas Absentee Voting as well as the registration process, kindly visit:

http://www.philembassy.no/consular/mrp2.html
http://www.philembassy.no/filcom/oavreg.html
http://www.philembassy.se/annments/oav/page1.htm
CONTACT PEOPLE:

Sister Myrna: +45 5290 0184 or +45 5354 3214
Ms. Rosemarie Christensen: +45 6013 6764
Philippine Embassy: +47 9500 1072

Part 1

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The Au Pair Program
Different Views, Different News
by Genevieve Arroyo

Gnevieve Arroyo

 

 

Hello everyone!

I am a graduating student who decided to make a research on the au pair program for my dissertation. To begin with, I would like to explain what an au pair program is about. I know that probably most of you already know what an au pair is but I would explain it again for the benefit of those who do not know it yet and what the au pair program really is.

The Au pair Program

Cultural policies have been developed and promoted for over a century already and the au pair program is just one of those. Cultural exchange programs are supported from local councils, to national governments; to supranational and even at global levels (like UNESCO). Au pair literally means “as equal” which means that when a young person is placed as an au pair, the host family will treat that person as a member or guest in their house. Here in the Netherlands, if a host family decides to sponsor an au pair, the au pair will in exchange of free board and lodging:

-Assist in doing some light household chores and some babysitting. For a complete list of what falls on light household chores visit the following link: http://www.napoweb.nl/en/download/regulations3a.pdf

-Do her duties for a maximum of 8 hours a day, 30 hours per week only.

-Be allowed to participate in different leisure activities such as making trips or taking a language course.

-Receive an allowance of up to a maximum 340 euros per month.

The Council of Europe has set out the standards on au pair placement, entitled the “European Agreement on Au pair Placement” in 1969. Although the Netherlands is not a signatory of this treaty the rules are not contradictory to the said agreement.

For students or young people, this program is a good way to learn other culture and broaden their horizons. Having a unique status, an au pair is neither a student nor a worker but has both features. You can attend a language school to harness your language skills and at the same time receive some pocket money which you can use to visit other parts of the country and maybe save some of the money for future plans. Through this program, au pairs are then able to share their country’s culture and at the same time learn the culture of their host country.

Au pair ban in the Philippines

Having said those, why then would the Philippine government ban the au pair program HERE in Europe when in fact a lot of young people around the world (even Dutch youths!) are actively participating from this program? There were different justifications for the ban. According to some reports Filipino placed au pairs are being exploited, turned into slaves, domestic helpers and prostitutes among other things. It was also mentioned that there were many confirmed cases BUT there were no actual numbers of such justifications.

The ban was implemented nine years ago and caused a lot of stir. Dialogues, complaints, opinions, petition have been aired and published but up to this day the ban is still in effect. The situation since 1997 has changed. There are now lots of entities who help and support au pairs in cases of abuse or exploitation. Even the Immigratie en Naturalisatiedienst(IND) has taken a move. Since June 1, 2004, au pairs with complaints can lodge their complaints to the IND (for those who don’t know the number it is: 070-3703888), au pairs may also try to contact the Netherlands Au pair Organization (NAPO), trusted au pair agencies and a lot of Filipino organizations who has devoted their time in helping co-Filipinos.

In a statement made by the Philippine embassy last April 1999 published by MN, it was mentioned that there was an ongoing dialogue between the Netherlands and Philippine government and both government are seeking solutions and “� this should certainly be forthcoming.” The Dutch government has already taken steps in tackling the problem. I haven’t seen any data yet about any moves made by the Philippine government (of course, maybe this is because my files/research is still not complete). When I wrote to the Philippine embassy in The Hague last November 2005, I was informed that the embassy is not aware of any statistical information that Filipinos continue to travel to the Netherlands under the au pair arrangement. Below are the actual numbers:

Approved MVV’s on Au pair arrangement

Source: IND

According to the president of NAPO, Mr. Jack Hompes, Filipino au pairs continue to arrive and through the years the numbers are stable, as you can see and in 2005 alone there are 133 Filipino placed au pairs here in the Netherlands. This is quite a huge number considering that the ban is still implemented and that immigration officials in the Philippines have been notified about it. Some reasons that prompted the growth are:

- Youths from around the world are becoming aware of the benefits of the au pair program

- Growth of the number of au pair agencies specialized in Filipinos.

- Need for self improvement by means of experience.

For this reason, I managed to interview Filipina au pairs who are already here sometime in 2005 and some of those who arrived in 2006 and this year. I would like to ask all Filipina au pairs to participate in my survey and if you know anyone else who is into the au pair program starting from 1998 to present. Also different au pair agencies to let me interview Filipino au pairs they’ve placed. The survey will be sent by email and if it’s not possible I can send it to you by post or we can make an appointment.

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MN-205, March 24, 2007

Life on campus has many distractions that can keep students from managing their time and keeping up with their studies, but according to Thomas Huxley: “Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the things that you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not.”

I have decided to compare the au pair program as implemented by two powerful continents: United States and Europe. Why? Because the au pair ban imposed by the Philippine government only applies in Europe BUT not in the US.

In the US, they have what they call an Exchange Visitor Program (EVP). The purpose of the program is to provide foreign nationals the opportunity to participate in educational and cultural programs in the US. EVP is divided into 13 program categories. The au pair program is just one of these categories. The Philippine participation on the EVP is being handled by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO).

The following table is a compilation about the au pair program in US and Europe.

This table has two purposes:

1. To compare the differences of the au pair program between US and Europe and

2. To find out whether the au pair program in Netherlands is contradictory to the EAAP.

As mentioned before, Netherlands is not a signatory to the EAAP. Based on the table, there are slight differences. Of course in Europe, rules are applied differently as each country has to adhere on their own regulations. In Belgium for example, the au pair should already be enrolled in a language course (Dutch, German or French) before a visa is issued. If a person wants to go to Germany as an au pair she needs to speak German. In the Netherlands, taking a language course is optional. But it is worth noting that most au pair agencies here and some companies provide Dutch courses especially for the au pairs and it doesn’t cost as much as when you attend to a normal school.

Another interesting difference is the “working” hours. In the US, au pairs can work up to a maximum of ten (10) hours per day; in France five (5) hours per day and in the Netherlands eight (8) hours per day. There is also a big difference in compensation. If you are an au pair in the US they will deduct $92.70/week for board and lodging, so the total compensation per week would be $139.05. This wage is according to the Fair Labor Standards Act of the US Department of Labor. In the Netherlands, the maximum allowance is €340.00 per month. This is in accordance to the Foreign Nationals Employment Act (Wav). In Belgium, the au pair’s compensation must be at least €450.00 per month and must be deposited into the au pair’s bank account. There is also a possibility of extending the au pair’s stay for 6, 9 or 12 months after a year in the US. In Europe, some countries allow au pairs to extend their stay for another year but this is not the case in the Netherlands.

Based on these comparisons, are the regulation differences really that huge? How do we know that indeed Filipina au pairs are exploited? Or turned into domestic helpers? Is it from the working hours? Or is it based from the au pair’s stipends? Considering that it’s only this year that the salary of domestic helpers increased from $200 to $400. Au pairs are supposed to be treated as a member of the family. Are au pairs treated in a way that is comparable to how domestic helpers in Hong Kong or Middle East are treated? We’ve all heard horror stories (and facts!). But I will not go into this as my research is not about domestic helpers.

So, how do we distinguish the difference then? From hear says? Where and how do we base such judgment? Is it through perceptions? What about duties? Is it really similar? There are lots of questions that need to be answered in order to clarify these confusions. There were also reports that some au pairs do not really come here in Europe for cultural exchange but to work, this is certainly a valid ground BUT isn’t it that when someone applies for a visa in any embassy or consulate the applicants are interviewed by one or two of the embassy staff in order to determine if someone is eligible or not (for whatever purpose). Isn’t that sort of directly or indirectly questioning/doubting how this people do their job? Also, is it fair to pre-judge someone to do something illegal or inappropriate? All human beings have different needs and desires; one of them is to have a good life. What is wrong in wanting or trying to earn some money? What about those who really want to participate in cultural exchange programs? Should they just all go to US when in fact it costs much more to go there? Should they just leave out Europe which is actually more culturally diverse than anywhere else?

Although I will never have the opportunity to become an au pair, I am into cultural exchange programs (being an international student). Never will I regret being a part of a program that shapes and hones one’s skills and aids in attaining your goal. Being culturally diverse is just one of the things that someone needs to learn in order to be competitive. I do not intend to play havoc with this topic but I do welcome answers and comments on all sides.

For your response/comments: vieve965@yahoo.com

This Site is NOT a AUPAIR ‘s MATCHING AGENCY

but A NON PROFIT Aupair Awareness Site nor intended to misuse an agency’s site for further clarifications check my post this-is-only-information-hub-for-filipino-au-pairs-not-a-recruitment-agency

if you are looking for help to find you a host you are on the wrong site

But nevertheless it doesn’t hurt if you know your Rights as an Aupair. You can browse the categories which is appears above or at the sidebar. This site is intended to provide information to au pairs specifically to Filipinos. Or you can also use the search box on the right side for particular topic. Below is the description on what’s the content of the categories.

• Au Pair Information- Information gathered from embassy’s and Immigration Service Website
• Au Pair News- Relevant news from article contributor or from different news media
• Au Pair Stories – Life stories FilipinaAu pairs
• Blogs- random blogs about anything related to au pair or OFW life
• General- formerly labeled uncategorized means that all that is not categorized will fall here.

Note that I do this on my free time so there’s still needs a lot of basic information from other countries that hire au pairs. But I will try to post more in my free time otherwise I will accepts any contribution relevant to this site just post a comment or write to me at filipinaaupair(at) gmail (dot) com

Thank you

Ana Lindenhann – administrator

Dulce, a 25-year old Filipina, was just beginning to enjoy the sweet life in Copenhagen, not exactly the most cosmopolitan city in northern Europe, but a cozy urban place nonetheless, popular with tourists. She was, for months, an au pair for a young family in the northern suburb of Espergaerde. When she was off work, Dulce would meet up with her friends, usually from her home province of Bohol, for karaoke nights or for church on Sundays. Her family back home in Tagbilaran was quite pleased that she could send money home out of her meager allowance.
Au pairs are a hybrid in Europe. Neither workers nor students, they get remunerated because they usually help two-career European families take care of small children and with the house chores. The term “au pair” means “at the same level” as family members. They are required to work for up to 30 hours a week (a maximum of five hours a day); the rest of the time, they are expected to study Danish culture and language.

In addition to free board and lodging (their own room is a basic requirement) plus perhaps the use of a laptop and extra amenities like phone cards and travel passes, they get 2,500 kroners ($500) a month, from which they pay 8 % labor market tax. Considering that a simple T-shirt costs $15 and lip gloss more than $20 (in the Danish welfare state, cosmetics are considered luxury goods; cars have a value-added tax of 200%), au pairs’ earnings are not something to write home about. Many are tempted to do “black” work, like cleaning and babysitting, which is illegal and can be cause for deportation.

One Sunday evening last November, Dulce was being dropped off at her Danish host family home by her friends after coming from evening mass. As she got out of the car and was crossing the country road in the pitch darkness of winter, she was ran over by a private car right before her helpless friends’ eyes. She died on the way to the hospital, and her friends and the car driver all had to receive shock therapy.

Dulce’s death was doubly painful for her family back home because no one was willing to pay for the transport of her casket to Tagbilaran for a proper burial. Cremation was not an option for her parents. The Danish host family wasn’t able to take on this responsibility [of sending her remains home], nor was there a provision in her contract about funeral arrangements. The host family was only responsible for her medical needs and care under their roof.

To help out, the Filipino community in Denmark began a collection. However, despite hectic attempts to raise the $8,000 needed to bring Dulce’s remains home, the collection still came up short. Weeks passed. Apparently nobody in Denmark could be held responsible for mortuary details, even if the Danish government and state that had given Dulce her permit to stay in the country.

It was only after the newly appointed Philippine Ambassador to Denmark, Norway and Iceland, Victoria Bataclan, got involved in the case and conducted dialogues with the different instances in the Danish system, did a solution come about. The insurance company of the driver was finally pinpointed as the party to bring her remains to Tagbilaran. The other aspects of the Dulce case are yet to be resolved.
Banning Au Pairs

The story of Dulce is an example of the No Man’s Land that Filipino au pairs risk landing into if they encounter problems during their stay in Denmark. When Filipinos go abroad to become au pairs, they are actually entering unchartered territory without their realizing it. They are welcomed in Denmark and other European countries where young families with small children and hectic careers make use of their labor. But the Philippine government doesn’t want them to leave the country as au pairs.

To the many documented instances of abuse and exploitation of Filipino au pairs abroad, the Philippine government’s response was to impose a ban on travelling as an au pair. This ban can be seen in two ways: as a means by the Philippine state to protect its citizens, and as a kneejerk reaction to the criticism of the way the Philippine government protects its citizens’ rights as workers in other countries. Evil tongues would say, au pairs earn and remit too little money anyway so they might as well stay home.

This ban, however, isn’t honored or respected by official instances in Europe. The Danish state, for example, continues to release visas or permits-to-stay to Filipino au pairs, even as it refuses to go into bilateral agreements with the Philippine government. Some recruitment agencies circumvent the ban by arranging for Filipino au pairs to get their Danish visas in other countries, such as Singapore.

The ones who suffer the most [from this ban] are the thousands of young Filipinos who travel to Europe and, when some problem arises, realize that they are on their own. This [lack of government support] is apparent even as they depart from Manila. At the airport, it is said that first-time travelers have to pay an “escort fee” (at least P20,000) to some officials, who use the travel ban as an excuse to extort and exploit the hapless au pairs who might have already paid hundreds of thousands of pesos to their equally rapacious recruiters.

Linda (not her real name), an ex-au pair who is now happily married and is the mother of an infant, confided to me that she was so relieved to have finally paid off the P250,000 debt she incurred from a cousin of hers who “found” her an au pair family in Denmark. Had Linda just depended on her monthly allowance of 2,500 Danish kroner, it would have taken her ten months to pay this illegal and exorbitant fee. But because she dared to work illegally beyond her official hours, she was able to pay off her “debt” in six months. Linda no longer speaks to her cousin but she’ll never report her to the authorities.

The cases of Dulce and Linda underscore the effects of the lack of bilateral agreements between the Philippines and their host country, where the au pairs — mostly young women, but increasingly, young men, too — are actually without rights as workers.

In the last few months, I also became aware of the case of Maria (not her real name) whose permit was revoked when she became terminally ill with leukemia. It was actually the Aliens Directorate, now ironically calling itself Aliens Service, which insisted that she leave her employ as soon as possible, when her health situation was found to be grave. Maria, who has gone back to the Philippines, hasn’t gotten over how dispensable she, with her work skills, was. As soon as she was no longer considered an asset to the Danish family she was au pairing for, she was given her month’s pay, and not a cent more, then it was farvel og tak, goodbye and thanks!
Courage against exploitation

Filipinos are regularly covered in Danish media, with stories often about the abuse or exploitation of an au pair. With their hourly pay of $1.25, which Danes consider slave wages, and reports of au pairs having to work up to 100 hours per week when the prescribed maximum is 30 hours — these are the stuff that media dish up and readers gobble up! On TV, we have seen so-called host families threatening au pairs on air because they have bravely come out and confronted their hosts about unpaid extra working hours, such as cleaning the homes of their hosts’ friends and associates, which is against the law. We’ve also read in the daily papers about the well-meaning wives of top business people, directors and CEOs in the so-called “whisky belt” north of Copenhagen (meaning the upper-crust Danes) who lend each other their au pairs so they have uniformed serving ladies during big business dinners. Without the protection of the Philippine government, the Danish government can actually deport the au pairs who bravely go public about their abuse and exploitation, although now they are given one month to find another host family. Failing that, the police will escort them to Kastrup airport. The brave au pairs have to fight on many fronts. As they face the wrath of their host families, they also risk being marginalized by their own kind. The Filipinos in Denmark generally look at au pairs as those who “disturb” the tranquil picture of Filipinos who have nice jobs and stable marriages, and who don’t want to be in the public eye. After yet another story of an abused au pair hit the headlines, one established Filipina commented, “Now, we all risk being seen as imported unskilled labor,” (meaning au pairs, or worse, as mail order brides.)
New Possibilities

The realities of the Danish labor market provide an opportunity to change both the image of Filipinos in Denmark, and of the au pair system.

Denmark’s labor market is screaming for more bodies in the workforce, so why not integrate into the market these intelligent, hard-working and, in many cases, very highly educated young men and women, who just need an investment in language and a few other qualifying courses?

When their visas expire, many Filipino au pairs move from Denmark to another country, such as Norway, where the au pair allowance is higher and the stay is up to two years.

More and more young parents in Denmark recognize that they need a helping hand with the household chores if they are to combine family life and career. In order to accommodate their needs and the young Filipino au pair’s needs as well, perhaps it’s time to revise the old “young girl in the house” model (a kind of domestic help of a lighter variety but with a proper pay for the hours worked). In which case, the payment of 6.50 kroner (equivalent to $1.25 an hour, when the market rate is 100 kroner or $20 an hour) has to be changed, as it is a black mark on Denmark’s and Europe’s reputation, because they are being looked at as a country and a continent that profits from exploiting young men and women from developing countries.

Filipino au pairs are now definitely part of the suburban landscape of Denmark. On the street where I live, there are three of them. I just said goodbye to Ramos, also from Tagbilaran, whose 18-month stay couldn’t be extended, to the disappointment of his host family who were very pleased with him. On his last day, he gave them a treat by cooking lumpia. When I asked him about his plans, Ramos said he was definitely going back to school to finish his nursing degree. His girlfriend, Flores, also an au pair, is finishing her term in a few months. Her older sister has successfully transitioned to a job with an international nonprofit in the Danish capital. Other au pairs have set their sights on further education and some have been successful in getting jobs in their real professions, as nurses, accountants, and information technology, among others.

Note: This article is reposted with permission by the author can be foun on her website www.filomenitamongaya.com. First published in Filipinas Magazine in April 2008. & in ABAKADA (Ang Balitang Kababaihan ng Denmark) Summer 2008 issue). Filomenita Mongaya Høgsholm is the founding Chair of Babaylan Denmark and is an Executive Board member of Babaylan Europe. She is also Board member of KULU, Women and Development Denmark.