SINGAPORE: The Philippines government on Wednesday ended a 14-year-old ban on allowing nannies to travel to any European country for work after Manila set new guidelines were issued to protect the Filipino workers. A strict monitoring system will be established in all Philippine embassies and consulates in Europe for the protection of Filipino au pairs, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said. The Philippines imposed the ban on the deployment of au pairs to Europe in 1997 after reports of maisreatment, including unfair compensation, excessive working hours, discrimination and sexual assault. The ban was lifted in 2010 in Switzerland, Denmark and Norway. Since then, more than 100 Filipino au pairs have been deployed to Switzerland, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. According to the department, au pairs are unmarried Filipinos between 18 and 30 who are hired under a cultural exchange arrangement with a European host family for a maximum stay of two years. “It is a great move because of all the struggles we face in the Gulf countries,” began Larni, a 24-year-old maid who has previously worked in Qatar, but told Bikyamasr.com that she faced mistreatment on a daily basis. “I think Europe is better for us and I am happy the government changed their rules to help us all get work,” she added. Under the new measures, the au pairs should live with the host family on an equal basis with other household members and should be given an allowance because they help with child care and light chores. They should also be enrolled in a school to learn the local language. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/YLfqX Tags: EU, Maid, Nanny, Philippines Section: East Asia, Europe, Latest News, Women
