The New Nation - Internet Edition

Women professionals frequently tormented in First World

Neena Bhandari

Pyali Shah, 40, had met her husband on the Internet. Both hailed from Karnataka and both had been previously married. It seemed a perfect match until Pyali arrived in Australia and began experiencing relentless mental and physical abuse.

"My husband, a widower with two children, just wanted a baby-sitter. He would lock me up and beat me. There was no money. I faced the constant threat of being thrown out or sent back to India. He would surf the Internet for other women and compelled me to have an abortion," recalls Pyali, a psychologist by profession, whose abuse was detected at the hospital when she had gone there for an abortion. Pyali was sent to a refuge and provided with counselling and support.

The scourge of mental, physical and sexual violence in the sanctity of one's own home, which started as a trickle, has become a deluge in recent years with more Indian immigrants coming to Australia. "We now get 30 to 40 cases a year, which is huge. In most cases the abuse is not so much of a physical nature as it is financial and emotional. The biggest concern for Indian women in Australia, who continue in an abusive relationship, is the fear of losing their sponsorship/spouse visa. When there are children involved, there is the fear of not being able to get custody due to financial or visa status," says John Russell, a social worker, who has been working with such women. "We try to alleviate their fears and refer them to relevant support services thereby providing means to a positive change in life," says Russell, who did his Masters in social work from Mumbai's Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

The experience of violence is exacerbated with no one to turn to in a new country and an alien environment. Many girls refrain from seeking help from their parents back home due to fear of tarnishing family honour.

Pooja Malhotra, 28, hasn't had the courage to return home for the past two-and-a-half years despite having faced abuse from the second day of her arrival in Melbourne. "I come from a reputed family and didn't want to go home until I could stand on my feet and regain my self-confidence," says Pooja, who was an independent, educated girl, working in the hotel industry, until she married her school friend.

"We were best friends and had grown up together. He came to Australia in 2002 to study and kept regular contact over email and phone. On one of his visits to India, he proposed and I was rushed into a registered marriage despite some reservations from my family, who wanted time for a proper wedding," she recalls.

Pooja had a social wedding after nine months and moved into her in-law's house to discover physical abuse between her in-laws. "It was difficult to comprehend as my father-in-law was very good to me. However, things were beginning to change with my husband too. He would now call only once a week. If I called he would get irritated and snap," she says.

After a long wait for the visa, when Pooja arrived in Australia, from the very next day she was subjected to constant criticism, total neglect and isolation. "He would make me do sexual things against my wishes and openly talk to his father about it. I lost all confidence. The mental abuse took its toll. From a jovial, vibrant person with plenty of friends, today I can't trust anyone anymore," says Pooja, who is still clearly traumatised.

Violence against women is a silent crime crossing all cultures. As many as 443,000 Australian women, or six per cent of the female population, have experienced violence from their partner or former partner, leading Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to call for a "zero tolerance" policy on violence against women.

According to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics: One in three Australian women have experienced physical violence and one in five women have experienced sexual violence. Less than one-third of all physical and sexual violence is reported; approximately 90 per cent of women who experience sexual assault do not access crisis support, legal help or other support services such as telephone helplines.

Shefali Gupta met her husband while surfing the Internet. "We were both working in Information Technology. Once I came here, things were well until I became pregnant. I felt absolutely cheated as it became apparent that he only married me to serve him and earn the money to support him and his family back home in India."

"I was imprisoned in my own home, allowed to meet only his friends - I had no one of my own in Australia. He would tap the phones and my name was not put on any utilities bills or tax papers and hence I didn't have any proof of residence. Once our child was born, things became worse. There was no proper food or medicine and I gradually lost my health and morale," says Shefali, who was able to move out after three torturous years in the relationship.

Things are not easy for victims of domestic violence but once abuse is reported at least there is a way out.

The Magistrate's Court can issue an intervention order that provides protection to the wife in the form of legal sanctions against the husband. Also, as per the law, single women, who are unemployed - including those with children - on permanent residency visas are eligible for welfare payment from the State, which is enough to rent and raise the children. In cases where the woman is on a spouse visa, she has to prove to the Immigration Department that the husband has been violent to avail of the welfare payment. Where there are children involved, parents get shared custody or the father at least has access to the child once a week and the non-custodial parent, usually the father, is required to pay child maintenance.

The Federation of Indian Association of Victoria (FIAV) has been helping such women stand on their feet again. "Last year, the FIAV launched a project to educate the Indian community in the state about family violence and its prevention.

We have been distributing posters and pamphlets, designed by Indian students, with information on where to seek expert help and assistance," informs Sushil Sharma, FIAV Community Services Director. Sharma also heads the Indian Welfare and Resource Centre (IWRC), which receives A$1,000 from the Indian Government towards support and rehabilitation of each case.

The FIAV has also aired a series of interviews in Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil and other regional languages with women who have experienced violent relationship; and conducted seminars relating to the cultural complexities of family violence.

Some men, like Shefali's husband, have remarried, so the cycle continues. But family violence is not restricted to women alone, for every nine females there is one male victim. The FIAV, with funding from VicHealth (Victorian Health Promotion Foundation), has released a DVD, "Don't Suffer in Silence", featuring moving interviews with women who have experienced family violence and an insight into the possible causes and symptoms by community psychologist, Khorshed Khisty.

Some of these women with shared custody of young children are not only battling to survive but fear the adverse impact of the crisis on their children. Launching the DVD, Olympic skier and Director at VicHealth, Kirstie Marshall, said family violence impacts babies and children just as it does the adults and elders in the community. "Hence it is the responsibility of each individual to take steps to prevent this growing problem in our society."

Footnote: All names have been changed to protect identities of women, who have had the courage to break this silence and come forward to tell their stories.

(Courtesy: Women's Feature Service)

Most housemaids end in despair

Sirohmi Gunesekera

Shanti Murugaya, 19, was excited about becoming an earning member of her family. She had always dreamt of being the breadwinner so that her ailing father wouldn't have to work. However, Shanti's father was anxious: he had heard harrowing tales of Sri Lankan women who had gone to the Middle East to work as housemaids. Yet, as Shanti was adamant, he relented on the condition that she would call home once a week.

When his daughter made her first phone call from Jordan, Murugaya knew something was amiss. Two months later, the family received a message from the Sri Lankan Consulate in Jordan, and were informed by the Prevention and Security Department in Amman, stating that Shanti had fallen off the fourth floor of her employer's house and had succumbed to her injuries. The shocked family was left grappling with questions: had Shanti been raped and killed or had she committed suicide? The Sri Lankan Embassy in Jordan is still awaiting the result of the autopsy to get some answers.

Shanti is one of the hundreds of eager women who dream of overcoming poverty by earning petrodollars in the Gulf countries. Rizana Nafeek, 17, misappropriated facts to falsify her age only to appear old enough to work as a nanny in the Gulf. During her employment interview in 2004 she told the authorities that she was in her 30s, as 30 is the minimum age for employment as a nanny. Though she was hired as a housemaid, Rizana was later asked to care of a baby, too. Ignorant of baby care, she mishandled the baby and the infant choked and died. She was arrested and has been sentenced to death. 'Human Rights Watch' (HRW) has taken up the case along with the Sri Lankan authorities and it is being tried in Saudi Arabia. The latest is that the baby's father has pardoned Rizana so she might escape capital punishment.

Dr Keheliya Rambukwella, Sri Lanka's Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare, says, housemaids should not be given the job of a nanny, as they are not trained to care of babies. Rambukwella also says that the Sri Lankan government is looking into the possibilities of employment prospects in countries such as Norway, Poland, Italy and even Japan, where a more systematic mode of remuneration is possible. "Some housemaids in the Gulf are forced to work 12 to 14 hours a day and don't get a day off. The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the government are in the process of drafting proposals to change this," says the minister.

A media officer at the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) reveals that there are 1.5 million migrant workers from Sri Lanka in the Middle East and non-Middle East (Cyprus, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong). In 2007, 52.77 per cent women went as migrant workers. Housemaids, nannies and babysitters fall into the category of the Domestic Sector and last year, 102,176 women went abroad to work in this sector. Of the housemaids who went, 18,446 were between the age of 25 and 29 years and 18,426 were between 35 and 39 years. On an average,their salary is 45 Kuwaiti Dinars (US$1=KWD 0.27). Most of these women have little education and are housewives so they do not earn if they remain in Sri Lanka.

As per SLBFE, there are 1.4 million Sri Lankan workers in the Gulf, 60 per cent are housemaids and 65 per cent female. "Of these, 15 per cent complain of physical and sexual harassment while 18 per cent complain of non-payment of agreed wages. Twenty per cent complain of lack of communication between employer and employee," said the SLBFE media officer."tIn 2007, we received 1,273 complaints of sexual and physical harassment. Our policy is to contact the Embassy and send for a report to the 'Haamputha's' (sponsor's) house. We also contact the local agent. If they don't respond, we cancel the licence of the local agent," explained the officer.

Talking about the efforts of the SLBFE, the media officer said, "We give compensation in the case of death or permanent disability during the period of registration. We pay LKR 300,000 (US$1=LKR 110.05) for permanent disability and LKR 500,000 in case of death. Death can be due to homicide, accident or, as in most cases, due to natural causes. We have also built a house in Polonnaruwa, in the North Central part of Sri Lanka, for a housemaid whose legs were cut off."

Even as Kingsley Ranawake, Chairman, SLBFE, assures of prompt action and assistance to victims and their families; and even as the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) implements awareness programmes for civil society and capacity building for law enforcement officers to help prosecute offenders in cases of trafficking, most migrant workers find it difficult to avail of the benefits. The reason being, those who have encountered serious problems had migrated through illegal channels.

According to 'Case Studies of Temporary Labour Migration of Women in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka', "A well-organised illegal network of unscrupulous agents, operating in both Sri Lanka and the host country, takes advantage of loopholes in the systemt to organise illegal migration of workers with forged documentation. Workers unregistered with the SLBFE forfeit benefits of services, such as insurance, in the event of accident, death or non-completion of contract. Migrants who have little or no education run into problems more often, as they are more likely to lack the ability to access and process information and acquire or benefit from training."

Housemaids are extremely vulnerable to abuse since they live inside homes and often have to work long hours with insufficient food and rest. According to HRW (November 2007), "Of the 100 female domestic workers interviewed, 20 said that they had experienced physical abuse by their employers or their employers' children. Many experienced psychological abuse, including verbal abuset the physical abuse included beatings, deliberate burning with hot irons, kicking, slapping and hair-pulling. Domestic workers said that their employers had beaten them with slippers, rubber hoses, a vacuum cleaner, basins, wires, chairs, wooden planks, broomsticks, knives, an iron bar and in one case, a cane. At the time of the interview, several women bore the scars of this abuse; burns, scars, a cast, shorn hairt"

The HRW document also states, "Of the 100 women interviewed, 13 reported sexual harassment or assault by their employer or employer's sons. Of these, five had been raped and three became pregnant, as a consequence. The actual number of Sri Lankan migrant domestic workers who are sexually harassed or assaulted is not known, but it is clear that it is vastly underreported due not only to the stigma and shame attached to such abuse, but also because of the fear of countercharges by employerst and the lack of accessible complaint mechanisms."

Unfortunately, because crimes of sexual violence often take place in private settings, the only evidence before courts often consists of the differing accounts given by a male national employer and a foreign female employee, with the former generally given the benefit of the doubt.

(Courtesy: Women's Feature Service)

Young female workers face duty-hours discrimination

Naunidhi Kaur

Women's participation in the salaried workforce has been steadily increasing in Canada since the 1960s. However, the facile image of a well-dressed career girl, complete with a perfect chignon, tailored dress suit and high heals, hides a reality that is diametrically different.

Reality is closer to what Toronto-based single mom Nicole Gorden, 39, has been living after the end of her decade-long abusive marriage. Gorden has two kids and works two part-time jobs to pay for the mounting bills. And despite holding down her job as a personal support worker for which she earns a minimum wage of nine dollars (US$1=CA$1.01) an hour, she takes classes at a community college for a diploma in social service to better her prospects. "I literally have to work around the clock to put bread on the table," says a very exhausted Gorden. "Getting a degree is important for me if I want to earn more and get out of the rut of part -time jobs," she adds.

While women like Gorden desperately want to give up their low-paying part-time jobs and move on, employers want to keep them where they are. This is because with part-time work they don't have to worry about paying perks like pension, Employment Insurance (EI) or paid vacation time.

Still, Gorden feels there are many women who aren't as fortunate as her. "If you're a woman at home raising children and you want to do something - where do you start?" she asks. The work-family tug is not new to women. Many serve as caregivers within their own households, doing the all-important task of raising children or looking after the sick. This seems to keep them away from the employment market.

This is what happened to Pallavi Bhatia, 30, who recently moved from Chicago, U.S., to Toronto and chose to stay at home to take care of her one-year-old son, Aadit. "Although I enjoy looking after my son, I constantly fear that the longer I stay away from the job market the harder it will be to get back," she says. Bhatia was working in the travel industry before she left her job because of a difficult pregnancy. Now, as a new immigrant in Canada, she feels she will be at a disadvantageous position when she starts looking for a job.

And Bhatia's apprehensions may not be unfounded. The present unemployment trends in Canada don't really paint a rosy picture for her. According to a 2007 study by Statistics Canada, a federal government statistics agency, immigrant women struggle the most in the labour market. Among women between the ages of 25 and 54 years, who have been in Canada for less than five years, the 2006 unemployment levels reached 13 per cent. Immigrant women between the ages of 15 and 24 years had even less success in the workforce, with unemployment rates at 19.9 per cent, double the rate of young Canadian-born women.

And this is where the news turns even more dismal. While women's participation rate in the labour market has doubled in the last few decades, it is also true that women account for 70 per cent of the part-time workforce. Worse, they still continue to fill-up low paying administrative jobs, with the more high-profile managerial positions continuing to elude them. In cases where women are in higher positions they have to live with a wage gap when compared to their male colleagues. (Source: Statistics Canada)

According to the Labour Force Survey of Statistics Canada, in 2006, 58.3 per cent of women in Canada aged above 15 years were employed. Of the two million employed women, 26 per cent worked less than 30 hours per week at their main job, as opposed to just 11 per cent of the employed men.

In 2005, Status of Women, a federal government agency promoting full participation of women in public life, conducted a study on women and employment. It found that men and women "inhabit two separate economies in Canada". This is because all their lives women earn less than men do: as new entrants in their 20s they get less income than men do. And as they gain experience and knowledge this income gap continues to widen. For instance, in 1997, the average earnings for all women were only 64 per cent of those of all employed men. Given that wages largely determine access to pensions, EI and other social benefits, the wage gap translates into a great cost for women. Even when they are able to get jobs they find themselves concentrated in a small range of lower-paying, traditionally female-dominated occupations: teaching, nursing and related health occupations, clerical or other administrative positions, and sales and service occupations.

Another industry that mainly employs women is the call centre sector. There are a lot of women in marketing, selling, technical support, customer service and reservations on phone jobs. Canada has approximately 13,400 call centres. According to Oxfam Canada, an international non-governmental organisation, this work, which is mainly done by the women, is "precarious labour." This is because it is unstable, and workers lack a voice because they are not unionised and receive low pay in relation to the number of hours they put in. Also, not only are the women in this industry working under the constant supervision of the manger who monitors all the calls, they also face a lot of sexual harassment. Being subjected to irate and obscene callers is common. And all this is on top of long working hours. Most call centres are open 24 hours, seven days a week and the annual pay of the workers ranges from $15,000 to $25,000, with those in administrative positions being paid even less. Aside from the low monetary returns, part time jobs are not held in high esteem.

Ultimately, it is the employers who have the last laugh. With the women having no option but to join up, the employers get a reserve army of workers who accept low wages and dismal working conditions.

In a move to reverse this trend, the federal budget released on February 26 this year included a commitment for an Action Plan to advance women's equality. As part of the Plan, several programmes are expected to be initiated to better the economic and social position of women.