While conducting the interview for our Different
Perspectives project; I’ve come to learn that my interviewee was a victim of exploitation
through a guest worker program. This opened a whole new door for me, because as
an individual who knows about living in no other country but here, to the
extent that I don’t even own a passport; the ideal of such lack of respect to
another human commited by Americans was hard for me to grasp. I thought, like
many people, that the “average trafficking victims are from the poorest, most isolated
communities.” (Adams et al. 2013 p.188) Learning about Lul’s story, I found
that this was not always the case, for example, Lul’s mother was a graduate of
Oxford University, one of the most prestigious universities of the world; and
to imagine her daughter being exploited at the degree she was as an au pair in
Michigan was very hard for me comprehend. Coincidentally; last week’s readings
were also on the topics of migrant worker explosions and they really helped me
understand the situation from an overall point of view.
I’ve learned that “international migration is relatively
unregulated.” (Adams et al 2013 p.189) Which brings about a whole host of
issues of debt bondage, forced labor, document servitude, and sex trafficking.
Why and How? Well when people are brought into the country and do not
understand their place in the country, for example if they are here on as a
guest worker, as Lul was, before she got her student visa and green card; and
have had their travel expenses paid through an organization, they have to work
to pay off that debt. Now if the work assignments are not regulated, exploitation
is so easy to occur. Where I work, since it is a non-profit organization; our
contracts are extremely basic and open; to the point, at the end of the day I
have done work of up to five different positions besides my own. Yet, according
to my contract, I am only working as an office manager and nothing else and
with no documentation of the actual work done, there is no way I can say I have
done more and above what my position asks of me.
Therefore, I believe that documentation of work and actual
duties should be outlined in guest worker contracts; very clearly, and Article
32 actually does give some suggestions of how U.S. can implement better
controls over the situations and one of the few I feel that should be
implemented as soon as possible are, “ examine guest worker programs tp reduce vulnerabilities,
conduct briefings for domestic workers of foreign diplomats to ensure that they
know their rights, and expand anti-trafficking outreach, services, and training
in the insular areas.” (Adams et al. 2013 p. 190) the reason that I believe these
recommendations should be implemented are because we do have many programs for
foreigners to work here, there are many ways that they may be exploited, and
thus every foreigner, no matter what program they are part of, should be briefed
of the rights they have here. If Lul knew she had the right to report on her
employers for the mistreatment they did to her, she may not have had to be in
the position for that whole year, working herself sick but unable to tell
anyone, not even her own sister. Also, even if she knew her right to report or
claim basic rights that are not given to her; where would she have been able to
report on them? She didn’t drive, so she couldn’t have driven out to a police
station or otherwise and explained her situation. Expanding the anti-abuse
services to a point that every foreigner, not only knows his or her rights,
they are in the position of being able to also exercise that right makes the
difference between venerability and empowerment.
Thank You,
References:-
Adams, M., Blumenfeld,
W. J., Castaneda, C., Hackman, H., Peters, M., Zuniga, X., (2013).
Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. New York: Routledge.
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