The invisible struggle: how thousands of female migrant workers lose their money and their children every year
- Many women in Asia head overseas to feed their families but risk losing their children and money due to patriarchal rules at home
- Experts and migrants say that is about time for source countries to ensure migrant workers will be protected from laws and cultural rules that punish women
“My husband does not allow me to talk to my baby boy. He just wants my money,” she says.
Lidia – not her real name – has been the breadwinner of the family for about 20 years. Every month, she sends money that has been used to build a house, set up a grocery shop and buy a taxi. She has not been allowed to see her son since 2015.
She is now in fear of losing everything she built there – and her son – as she is getting a divorce.
Lidia’s struggle is not an isolated case. Thousands of women in Asia leave their homes and their children behind every year to work overseas and provide for their families. Many face abuse and betrayal, are left with little money and even stripped from their children.
In the era of #MeToo – a movement focused on women’s rights – migrants and experts say the issues that these blue-collar workers face have failed to garner international attention. They say it is about time for source countries of migrant workers to revise laws and cultural rules that punish women, while setting up nationwide services that support female migrant workers.