Before the launch of the shelter, the Centre for Domestic Employees(CDE) had already been working with its partners and stakeholders to shelter some 50 foreign domestic workers (FDWs) facing issues with their employers or the authorities.
From the time CDE started work in January 2016, it had received nearly 600 calls to its helpline.
CDE’s Executive Director (Strategy), Shamsul Kamar tells us more on what the new shelter is all about.
The new CDE shelter will commence operations in the second quarter of 2017. It will be able to house some 100 FDWs and will be in the eastern part of Singapore.
NTUC This Week: How does CDE decide a domestic worker needs to be sheltered?
Shamsul Kamar: At this point, we make an assessment from the calls that come directly to us. There have been instances where they need support like in the cases of runaway domestic workers. We also have domestic workers who have issues with the authorities or with their own employers. If we deem they need to be sheltered, we will do so. We will review our criteria in greater detail as we evolve.
Why is it timely for CDE to start a new shelter?
We have our helpline and this opens up channels of communications. We also have a team of case workers, and very soon we will be building our capabilities to have counsellors who will come in to give their direct support to employers and FDWs who are facing issues. However, we also want to further build up our capabilities in helping foreign domestic workers who may face problems. We realise that more and more domestic workers will be coming here to work in the future. We want to give these domestic workers humanitarian, social and emotional support. This is where we want to operate a shelter of our own where we can provide direct support.
What will the shelter provide?
If any domestic worker is to be admitted into our shelter, we will provide counselling services. We will also be working with our partners to carry out mediation services if this becomes necessary. We know that for a few domestic workers, there may be an indefinite timeline where they may be housed in the shelter. For such longer cases, we are working with our partners and stakeholders to give them some form of training.
How have employers responses been with the cases CDE has been handling.
We take an engagement approach with employers. We recognise that once you have issues together, there will always be elements of unhappiness and lack of trust. We take everything positively. We feel there is one very important process, that of sitting down and trying to resolve the case together. If we can, let us mediate, let us see what we can do and then we can move on.
Source: NTUC This Week
