Empowering Filipina Au Pairs

Last updated on :
January 30, 2012

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	Philippine Women’s Center in the Netherlands


		Empowering Filipina Au Pairs through Information and Training By Rochita Loenen-Ruiz & Diana Oosterbeek-Latoza What is an au pair? What does it mean to be empowered? Why choose the Netherlands? What are your rights and obligations as an au pair? And what should you know if you choose to become romantically involved with a Dutchman?

	These were some of the hot topics discussed during the Information Session and Workshop on Empowering Filipina Au Pairs. The Information Session and workshop for Filipina au pairs which is a joint project of The Philippine Embassy and Stichting Bayanihan, Centrum voor Filippijnse Vrouwen in Nederland was held at the Philippine Embassy in Copes Laan van Cattenburch, Den Haag on December 11, 2010, was well-attended by around fifty participants including seventeen enthusiastic au pairs, representatives from au pair agencies, the Philippine Embassy staff, Munting Nayon’s Eddie and Orchid Flores, and Stichting Bayanihan’s board members and volunteers. Each of the attending au pairs was given an information packet. After the pre-session registration and greetings, the participants were invited to turn their attention to the programme itself.




		Diana Oosterbeek Latoza (Bayanihan’s Coordinator and Social Cultural worker) with Vice Consul Cynthia Pelayo.


		Au pairs arriving at the embassy are invited to register first.

	Vice Consul Cynthia Pelayo gave a quick introduction to the Gender and Development Projects. She acknowledged the financial support given to this project by the Department of Foreign Affairs under the Philippine Government as part of the Millennium policy of the United Nations to combat poverty, as well as Bayanihan’s role in recommending this au pair project for Filipina au pairs in the Netherlands and in putting together the workshop for the au pairs. “This workshop is a first for us,” Vice Consul Cynthia Pelayo said. In his welcome remarks, Charge d’ Affaires Frank R. Cimafranca thanked Vice Consul Pelayo for her efforts and for submitting the proposal that provided funding for this project. He welcomed the Filipina au pairs and the participants to the workshop restating the importance of this workshop and speaking out his wish that this activity will continue in the years to come. He said that: “the priority given to the au pairs stems from the work to lift the ban on the deployment of au pairs.”

Following Charge d’Affaires’ welcome speech, Consul Maria Anna Lilia L. De Vera told the participants how lifting the ban on au pairs to the Netherlands is a point of concern, not only for herself, but also for consuls who had previously occupied her position. Like those who have gone before her, Consul De Vera’s concern is to present the wishes of the Philippine Government to the Dutch Government, specifically, that the Philippine Government wishes for assurance from the Dutch Government that all Filipina Au pairs coming to the Netherlands will be ensured of their safety and security.




		The participants intently listening to the presentation of Vice-Consul Cynthia Pelayo.

Following these informative welcome speeches, Veronica Balbuena, current chairwoman of Stichting Bayanihan’s board, presented the vision and purpose of Stichting Bayanihan and how part of Bayanihan’s work is the consistent lobbying for the rights and protection of Filipinas in The Netherlands.

Veronica says that “Stichting Bayanihan is no newbie to the au pair issue. Indeed, the plight of Filipina au pairs has been one of its major concerns since 1993.” Bayanihan’s extensive and vast experience in assisting and working directly with Filipina Au Pairs in the Netherlands has led them to serious lobby and to do advocacy work on this issue. Bayanihan believes that the exploitation of au pairs and other problems that arise from it can only be addressed through concerted efforts of the various stakeholders and actors. Most important of these actors are the Philippine and Dutch governments through their respective policies concerning the au pairs and the au pair programme.

After these inspiring series of welcomes, Diana Oosterbeek-Latoza, who is the Coordinator & Social Cultural Worker of Stichting Bayanihan and the facilitator of the day of this activity introduced the content and the relevance of the workshops for au pairs and also the trainer of the two workshops, Maya Butalid.




		The lively discussion during the course of the afternoon

Why did I choose to become an au pair? Why in the Netherlands? What do I expect to achieve during my stay as au pair in the Netherlands? What am I good in? What are my strengths? Which opportunities do I have at the moment? Which difficulties and problems do I face at the moment? How do I intend to address these difficulties and problems?

These are some of the questions raised during the first workshop session which was led by Maya Butalid. Maya Butalid who also served as councilwoman for seven years in the City of Tilburg, is a Child, Youth and Cross Cultural psychologist and trainer and coach at EmPact (Empowered to take Action), a training and coaching bureau. She was Bayanihan’s previous chairperson and has been given trainings for Bayanihan on intercultural communication and upbringing of children.

She invited the au pairs to interact with her in the workshop by first asking them what they thought of when they heard or saw the word Empowerment.

Their responses were crucial to the discussion as without a proper understanding of Empowerment, it would be hard to move on to a point where one is able to make crucial decisions that will broaden the choices available to us.

For the au pairs, it was necessary to examine their reasons for choosing to become an au pair, as well to honestly face themselves with regards to what it was they wished to achieve by coming to The Netherlands.

To be able to reach a point where they are able to conduct a dialogue with their host families and assert their own rights, the Filipina au pair needs to see what it is that she expects from her au pair experience as well as what it is that she expects from her host family.

From the exchange between Maya and the participating au pairs, a picture could be formed of what the au pairs expected from their stay as au pairs, as well as a picture of what cultural exchange had already taken place.

As one of the Filipina au pairs present said: “One of the most shocking things for me was to hear children answering back to their parents. This is something that is not allowed in The Philippines.”

This statement led to a discussion of the cultural differences between Dutch and Filipino culture and how au pairs are not simply in The Netherlands to learn about Dutch culture, but they are also here to share and impart the good things about Filipino culture to the Dutch. It was encouraging to hear testimonies of how Dutch host families appreciated the input of the Filipina au pair. A Dutch woman present at the session said, “I think Asian culture is very valuable because it has a lot of important values. One of those things is the value of respect.”

Those Filipina au pairs are valued not only for their values but also because they are honest and hardworking was one of the things that emerged from this discussion. However, it also remains true that Filipina au pairs are often exploited because of their culture and because of the stereotype of the Filipina au pair being easy to intimidate.

In conclusion, Maya said that the reality is far more complex than we can imagine. But being able to see her strengths will empower the Filipina au pair.

Everywhere she goes the Filipina au pair is very much desired because of her hardworking nature and because of the drive to do her job well. Filipina au pairs are known for their responsibility, their honesty, their being organized, and for their rich culture. Added to these things, is the fact that most Filipina au pairs are highly educated professionals who desire to experience a culture that is not their own.

Maya encouraged the au pairs to learn as much as they can. “Be curious about the culture,” Maya said. “When your perspective is broadened, it is enriching. Embrace your environment and learn from it.”




		Au Pair Workshop trainers Diana Oosterbeek Latoza and Maya Butalid kept the session informative and entertaining.

What is an au pair? What are the laws? Which laws can Filipinas use to protect their rights? What are their rights? What are the obligations of the Phil Govt towards you and what are the obligations of the Dutch govt towards you?

“I want to know what you know.” With these questions and with this statement, Diana Oosterbeek-Latoza, Coordinator of Stichting Bayanihan, opened the second session which dealt with the Rights and Obligations of Au Pairs. *

While there is a legal definition of what an au pair is, many Filipina au pairs are unaware of that legal definition and if you were to ask a random Filipina in the Philippines, it is quite likely that they would say that an au pair is a domestic worker or a nanny or a helper. This confusion influences the way the au pair interacts with the host family and being uncertain as to what being an au pair entails can result in the exploitation of the au pair. It exactly happened in this workshop when one au pair asked mentioned that an au pair is a domestic worker. But another au pair clearly defined what a real au pair is.

After hearing the responses from the au pairs, Diana Oosterbeek-Latoza distributed the Bayanihan brochure with Tips and Information for the au pairs. The brochure defines the au pair as someone who comes to the Netherlands for a limited period to live with a host family (which may be a single-parent family) and learn about the Dutch language and culture. In exchange for room and board, the family may expect the au pair to do light household work.




		The participants reading the hand-outs on au pair rights.

A lighthearted point during the discussion came from a question about what light household work entails and whether an au pair should walk the dog or not. (The conclusion being: the au pair may walk the dog if she wishes to do so, but it is not something she is required to do. If she doesn’t wish to, then she mustn’t be made to do so.).

One of the important points from the folder is: “An au pair can do work which can be taken over during her absence by other members of the family, a babysitter or housekeeper. An au pair is not completely responsible for the household chores. An au pair actually stays with the host family on an equal basis”

As Maya Butalid said: “It is not an employer-employee relationship. The au pair joins the host family as part of the family. It is a cultural exchange.”

The Philippine Embassy presented the side of the government when it comes to the au pair ban. What the POEA is concerned about is the financial burden that is put on the au pairs as well as the various groups that take advantage of them.

Agencies present confirmed that there is indeed a high cost attached to entering the au pair programme, but it is hoped that the government will be able to come up with better solutions that will relieve the au pairs of this financial burden. Vice-consul Pelayo explained the stand of the POEA based from the information sent to her by Labour Attache, Rustico de la Fuente.

Diana stressed the recent information regarding au pair policies. Under the Modern Migratiebeleid, host families who would like to get au pairs in the Netherlands should do this through an IND recognized Au pair agency. There are 23 Au Pair Agencies that are recognized by IND. This is a sort of an experiment policy by the Dutch government to gradually ensure that au pairs will be protected by giving the responsibility to the au pair agencies to do their tasks.

This second session had already given rise to a lot of information that needed to be digested, so participants were invited to partake of a short break before proceeding on to the next workshop.

Compared to the two previous sessions, a workshop on Interpersonal and Intimate Relationships seems quite lighthearted. However, as Maya Butalid puts it, it is natural to have this discussion as most au pairs are between the ages of eighteen and twenty-six years old which are the ages when most women encounter their partners for life.




	Maya Batulid explains the differences between Filipino and Dutch dating culture

Maya says, “the reality is that most Filipinos want to go out of the country, not because of poverty, but because they want to broaden their possibilities. Finding a partner can be part of the dream and for a young girl living in The Netherlands; it is inevitable that she will meet with Dutch guys, Filipino guys or guys from other cultures.”

For the purpose of the workshop, Maya proceeds from the standpoint of a prospective relationship with a Dutch guy and how the differences in culture affect or influence such a relationship. One major difference stems from the Dutch culture being a verbal culture where Filipino culture is more intuitive. So where a Filipino person would be likely to feel what the other means, a Dutch person would need to hear it in words.

There is also a great difference when it comes to relationships as Filipino girls tend to look at relationships with an eye towards the long-term. Dutch persons, on the other hand, see things as dating and going out as being all part of the process. Even physical intimacy is viewed by the Dutch as simply being part of the process whereas for the Filipino, physical intimacy indicates a deeper commitment. With these points in mind, Maya cautioned young Filipinas to consider themselves first before making any decisions regarding physical intimacy.

“Take into consideration the difference in culture,” Maya said. “And take advantage of the openness to talk about it. No is no, and they will respect that.” In the end, the choice lies with the Filipina. She must be able to determine for herself whether a relationship is something she is happy with or not. If physical intimacy is not what she wants, then she should not allow herself to be pressured into something she is not happy with.

Maya: “Our topic is empowerment. When you go into a relationship, it is important to keep on asking: What do I get out of this relationship? Is this relationship helping me to continue to grow? Is this relationship putting me down? Is it a positive thing? Many Filipinas consider the relationship as being one wherein they serve their partners, but they should also consider that the relationship should also be one where the partner serves us.”

After a short break, there was a short open forum wherein questions from the participants were entertained and answered by The Philippine Embassy and Stichting Bayanihan.


		In response to a request from the au pairs for an overnight workshop, Vice Consul Cynthia Pelayo announced that they are depending on the results of this workshop for future funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs. On the side of Bayanihan, she is determined and committed to go on with the proposed sessions even with limited funds. The next session will be done during the International Women’s Day on March 2011. It is to be hoped that the dialogue between the Philippine Government and the Dutch Government will be fruitful and that the ban on au pairs will soon be lifted as the Dutch government complies with the Philippine Government’s request for the au pairs to be guaranteed safe treatment and security and for the burden of finance to be taken off of the shoulders of the au pair as government intercedes and takes action on their behalf. * Diana Oosterbeek-Latoza is the moving spirit behind Bayanihan’s Au Pair Programme since 1993. She was a member of the Begeleidingscommissie (Advice Commission). Her study report paper on Filipina Au Pairs in the NL, Au Pairs en hun gastgezinnen in Nederland, “Evaluatie au pair regeling” done by the Ministry of Justice in 2003. Her study report paper on Filipina Au Pairs in the Netherlands was published in “In De Olde Worlde, Views of Filipino Migrants in Europe” edited by Filomenita Mongaya Hogsholm in 2007 and used as background paper by the Dutch and Filipino authorities.

	* For more information visit www.ind.nl




	The au pair participants with their certificates together with Chargé d’Affaires Frank R. Cimafranca, Vice-Consul Maria Cynthia Pelayo, Bayanihan Chairwoman Veronica Balbuena, Bayanihan Coordinator & Social Cultural Worker Diana Oosterbeek-Latoza, & Trainer Maya Butalid.



	Group of enthusiastic participants together with Chargé d’Affaires Frank R. Cimafranca, Bayanihan Chairwoman Veronica Balbuena, Bayanihan Coordinator & Social Cultural Worker Diana Oosterbeek-Latoza, & Trainer Maya Butalid.


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