Comments on: The First Shift: Domestic Workers Deserve Basic Rights

By: analind

analind — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 15:36:17 +0000

@Yschi,
I still think that there are still a lot of host families that following the true meaning of aupairs because maybe because they were aupairs themselves or aupair system serves a good purpose. But if most of Filipinas coming here as aupair doesn’t know what is aupair is all about then they themselves are to blame.
You are lucky to have a host that understands and cares for you. Share your blessings by just sharing your story will help educate or inform aupairs. You can contact us if you are interested sharing your story by written form or by sharing it in one of our orientations.
Thank you for the visit and Good luck in your study.

By: owiend

owiend — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 10:02:41 +0000

we cannot really generalized the situation. but it is actually unfortunate when people (host families and au pairs, danes and filipinos alike) misuse the system. since it is not legal in the philippines to work as au pair, everyone become vulnerable to misuse.
and here in europe, au pairs meant another in the beginning than it does now. with the rising number of filipinas (or asians) coming to europe as au pairs, and europeans hiring au pairs from the philippines, being au pair nowadays to simply put it, is being domestic helper as the title above. but of course, as many says, who cares? that is mostly the reason why one does apply to be an au pair.

By: yschi

yschi — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 07:49:30 +0000

well said. I aswell have been an aupair here in denmark. But i was not abused when i was working in my host family. They even helped me to study here in denmark. So not all of them were abusing the aupairs. But they are still some families does. So i just told them to change a host family. Better than to go home

By: Ana Lindenhann

Ana Lindenhann — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 07:27:56 +0000

@Reese,
Thanks for the visit and and a timely comment. A lot of our aupairs who comes here and doesn’t understand whar’s the meaning of au pair. They even marketed as they are willing to do everything but hey they aren’t hired as house help so its wrong.
They equate aupair as a domestic helper thats why they still call their host as “amo” or boss even address them as Ma’am or Sir although there’s nothing wrong with that because maybe it is on our culture to give respect to elders or those with positions but in Denmark it is alright to call anyone with their first name like the Prime minister, doctors etc just call them their full name is a sign of formality.What I see wrong with it is that it makes you feel below them and you give them the impression to them that they can do whatever they want with their aupairs (of course not all of them).
We are also brought up to be nice especially girls and we always wants to please so we haven’t practice to say NO and that takes a lot of work to do. So Reese would you come to our Orientation and help your fellow aupairs that it is not a crime to say NO in fact it will makes you
westernized and well informed.
Regards and have a nice weekend

By: reese

reese — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:15:01 +0000

It is true that the ” on-equal terms” has been neglected. I’m a Filipina aupair here in Denmark and it saddens me more to see that Filipina’s opted to have this mentality that aupair equates to domestic helpers. Nothing wrong with being a domestic helper if you are actually employed as such with salary that amounts to your job.
Reasons for being an aupair also makes a huge difference, a Master Thesis in Aalborg University about Aupair from Philippines showed that “suppporting their families back home ranked first as the reason why Filipinas left the country and venture to Denmark without comprehending the contracts signed.
Passivity and that “filipino mentality” that everything is fine has a negative effect as well.
I share this to my fellow AUPAIRS, on equal terms means you have to voice out if things are not right, you have the same rights as anybody else in the family since you are considered and you signed a contract as such. You have to KNOW your rights and know that saying NO is not a crime.