French For DH
What DH stands for? Of course any Filipinos knew what the letters D and H stands for; it is somewhat a shame able title for Filipino workers who work abroad wherein during their stay in the Philippines they are professionals like they are teachers, doctors, engineers, and so forth but that was then before the foreign countries accepts the expertise or specialization wherein a Filipino is expert upon like Middle East countries like Dubai who are hiring for Filipino Engineers and respect what they are graduated from. Nowadays, foreign countries export professional Filipinos and not on old times that Pinoys or Filipinos are treated as mere DH or just fit only to work as “yayas” or nannies which is the meaning of the letters DH, as in Domestic Helper.
However, in European countries of course they still hire DH Filipinos like in France, they call domestic helper as “aus pair” yet not as domestic servant as DH connotes but as this French word means “equal to “ or equal to the family Filipino DH or Filipino Domestic Helpers are working with. They treat them or French employees treat Filipino domestic helper not as domestic servant but as part of the local family or as part of their local family.
“Au pair” is a French term that translates to “on par” or “equal to”. Filipinos under the au pair program “live on an equal basis in a reciprocal, caring relationship” with their host families, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
The intent is for the foreigner to be at par or equal to locals, by being treated as a member of the family instead of a domestic servant.
Au pairs perform house work and child care and receive monetary allowance from their host families…”
Sounds Good is not it, but wait till one hears reports that this seems to be of a good working relationship between Overseas Filipino worker with their French employer has tainted with maltreatment and abuses and domestic violence on a recent reports.
“..The country had stopped deploying au pairs to Europe in 1997 after receiving reports of maltreatment, including unfair compensation, excessive working hours, discrimination and sexual assault…”
Thus, the Philippine government bans the deployment of Filipino workers who are applying as domestic helpers for French employers or as “aus pair” (Haus Pair? Katambal Sa Bahay? Sounds like it is not it?) years ago but now the ban has been lifted by the current Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay.
“…The Philippine government is looking into lifting the ban on “aus pair” program in other European countries…he ban on the program was lifted in October 2010 in Switzerland, Norway and Denmark after the said countries guaranteed to protect au pairs and follow the conditions of the Philippine government for their deployment….”
However, the lift from banning Filipino workers to work as “aus pair” on European countries especially France is still on the ongoing monitoring or investigation if the maltreatment cases is already resolved by the French Government or by the European countries.
According to Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay : ““We are in the process of reviewing the au pair program in order to facilitate proper guidelines and policies on departure and monitoring,”
In my opinion, not only in the European countries like France the domestic violence or maltreatment of Filipino is being done or perpetrated but also on Asian countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, and Korea which seldom reported.
However, this domestic violence being experience by Filipinos working abroad as “aus pair” or Domestic Helper or DH is not something new but an old problem that still persists nowadays but just mellows over the years because of the strict implementation of Human Rights around the world or around the globe.
