SANDIGAN joins 52px Photo Expo to promote HSWs rights
Bid to protect, promote, improve domestic workers rights
SBy Michelle Fe Santiago
Arab Times Staff
ANDIGAN, a Philippine advocacy group based in Kuwait founded by Mary Ann Abunda and Chito Neri aimed at promoting the rights and welfare of Filipino household service workers (HSWs) in Kuwait, the Middle East and across the world collaborated with Project 189 for the 52px Photo Exhibition that was held recently at the Masaha 13 in Shuwaikh
Project 189 is an organisation founded and coordinated by Ekaterina Porras Sivolobova and Lama Ghannam, based in Kuwait that aims to protect, promote and improve the rights of domestic workers in the Middle East. Project 189 works on the promotion of the rights of domestic workers in the Middle East so all their rights are respected; where they can live in freedom, free from fear, violence and abuse. Its vision is for all domestic workers to be equal and free from all forms of exploitation, discrimination and abuse and in which all states recognize in law and in practice domestic work as work under international labour and human rights law.
Its mission is to strengthen labour and human rights law in the Middle East through advocacy, awareness, empowerment and the promotion of Convention 189 (Convention concerning decent work for domestic workers).
Vision “We are very happy to be a part of the photo exhibition and to work hand in hand with Project 189 that shares the same vision that SANDIGAN has. We would like to thank Project 189 for making SANDIGAN a part of this project and we hope to work on more projects with them in the future,” stated Abunda.
52px is an initiative developed by Project 189 to promote the inclusion of domestic workers through photog- raphy. The project is named 52px, the number 52 for the number of days Left to right: US Embassy Political Officer Lloyd Freeman, Philippine Consul General Raul Dado, Ann Abunda of SANDIGAN and Lama Ghannam of Project
189. that a domestic worker should have off a year — 1 day a week off. The project 52px included workshops where the domestic workers were trained to use a camera during their time off when they can have time to take pictures. A total of 23 domestic workers of various nationalities participated in this project wherein their photos were showcased during the photo exhibition that was attended by Philippine Consul General Raul Dado and US Embassy Political Officer Lloyd Freeman as well as other advocacy groups and individuals.
“We hope that this initiative will be the first step that would help us rally the rights and welfare of domestic workers and alleviate them from their current plight,” stated Abunda who expressed hope that more advocacy groups in Kuwait will come together and join hands in helping domestic workers.