Fashion show to expose struggles of Pinoy live-in caregivers in Canada
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – In a bid to tickle the conscience of Canada’s policy makers, a Filipino women’s group will stage an innovative “political fashion show" to tell the stories and struggles of Filipino live-in caregivers in one of the world’s leading advocates of human rights.
In a press statement, the Philippine Women Centre of British Columbia (PWC-BC) is staging “Scrap: A Political Fashion Show to Stop Violence against Filipino Women" on October 26 at Centre A (Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art) located at 2 West Hastings Street in Vancouver.
“The Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) imports women from Third World countries like the Philippines," PWC-BC vice chairperson Denise Valdecantos said in the statement.
“Through this fashion show, we hope to provoke Canadians into thinking about these women’s stories and their daily struggles against the violence of modern-day slavery," she said.
As explained by Valdecantos , the LCP and its predecessor the Foreign Domestic Movement, have brought an estimated 90,000 Filipino women to Canada.
“Under the LCP women are temporary workers and are required to live in their employer’s homes. They are also tied to an employer-specific work permit and must complete 24 months of live-in work within three years of their entry to Canada before being allowed the chance to apply for permanent residency.
“The LCP as Canada’s de facto national childcare program, and other guest worker programs (like the Temporary Foreign Workers Program) should be fully debated in Canadian society," said Valdecantos.
“Too often, Canadians are lulled into thinking that these programs are signs of Canada’s humanitarian immigration policy. But from the stories of the live-in caregivers themselves, we know that the LCP is an exploitative and racist policy that stifles these women’s dignity," she said.
Fundamentally unjust
She said merely reforming the LCP, as some are demanding, won’t do any good. “Offering band-aid solutions to women that are suffering violence and modern-day slavery will not work," she said.
“You cannot fix a program that is fundamentally unjust and anti-woman. Instead of accepting our so-called fates as women, we advocate for the genuine empowerment and education of Filipino women towards equality and liberation. Thus, one part of our struggle is to call for the ‘scrapping’ of the LCP," she said.
The fashion show will feature clothing and excerpts of stories of several Filipino women who came to Canada under the LCP.
“The show seeks to challenge the notion that women and the work they do in the home are mere “scraps" that are peripheral and disposal in our every day lives," said Valdecantos.
“Scrap" is part of the Living Blanket exhibition at Centre, A which will display an ever-growing quilt made by women and women’s groups around the world. The events coincide with the WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery. - GMANews.TV
In a press statement, the Philippine Women Centre of British Columbia (PWC-BC) is staging “Scrap: A Political Fashion Show to Stop Violence against Filipino Women" on October 26 at Centre A (Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art) located at 2 West Hastings Street in Vancouver.
“The Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) imports women from Third World countries like the Philippines," PWC-BC vice chairperson Denise Valdecantos said in the statement.
“Through this fashion show, we hope to provoke Canadians into thinking about these women’s stories and their daily struggles against the violence of modern-day slavery," she said.
As explained by Valdecantos , the LCP and its predecessor the Foreign Domestic Movement, have brought an estimated 90,000 Filipino women to Canada.
“Under the LCP women are temporary workers and are required to live in their employer’s homes. They are also tied to an employer-specific work permit and must complete 24 months of live-in work within three years of their entry to Canada before being allowed the chance to apply for permanent residency.
“The LCP as Canada’s de facto national childcare program, and other guest worker programs (like the Temporary Foreign Workers Program) should be fully debated in Canadian society," said Valdecantos.
“Too often, Canadians are lulled into thinking that these programs are signs of Canada’s humanitarian immigration policy. But from the stories of the live-in caregivers themselves, we know that the LCP is an exploitative and racist policy that stifles these women’s dignity," she said.
Fundamentally unjust
She said merely reforming the LCP, as some are demanding, won’t do any good. “Offering band-aid solutions to women that are suffering violence and modern-day slavery will not work," she said.
“You cannot fix a program that is fundamentally unjust and anti-woman. Instead of accepting our so-called fates as women, we advocate for the genuine empowerment and education of Filipino women towards equality and liberation. Thus, one part of our struggle is to call for the ‘scrapping’ of the LCP," she said.
The fashion show will feature clothing and excerpts of stories of several Filipino women who came to Canada under the LCP.
“The show seeks to challenge the notion that women and the work they do in the home are mere “scraps" that are peripheral and disposal in our every day lives," said Valdecantos.
“Scrap" is part of the Living Blanket exhibition at Centre, A which will display an ever-growing quilt made by women and women’s groups around the world. The events coincide with the WACK! Art and the Feminist Revolution exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery. - GMANews.TV
advertisement
advertisement
advertisement
