Hi all, I’m starting this GoFundMe to raise money for my sister’s family. Her husband is currently stuck overseas in an abusive work situation. He’s been in the Middle East on contract for four years. About a month after the Coronovirus took the world by storm, the company he worked for halted his and his coworker's wages promising that they would receive the money in the future. As of today, his salary payments have been pending for 11 months. He wanted nothing more than to be able to provide for his family and saw that the best opportunity was halfway across the globe.

 

(I intentionally am leaving out any details that could identify him as I fear for his safety from the governments of these countries until he is home.)

 

He has been going into work day after day for a company that leads him on with false promises and nothing in return. He hasn’t been able to see his wife or family since leaving the Philippines and is now stuck overseas. Due to abusive labor laws (known as the Kafala System) in the country he works in, he is not legally allowed to leave the country without his employer's permission. Instead, he may be held in contempt.

 

Please help me send him home and relieve his family of the mental and financial stress of a year’s missing wages. All we want is for him to come home safe. We’re all missing him a lot this year and it’s extra hard knowing how he’s suffering during the holiday season.

The money raised will be used to help him obtain his exit visa ($3000) and to compensate for less than half of the wages ($7000) he never received, this will provide living expenses and his sons’ tuitions. If we exceed our goal, extra funds will go towards helping other Filipino families in similar situations.

 

Here is an additional explanation of the Kafala system from the Council of Foreign Relations: [Link] In most situations, workers need their sponsor’s permission to transfer jobs, end employment, and enter or exit the host country. Leaving the workplace without permission is an offense that results in the termination of the worker’s legal status and potentially imprisonment, even if the worker is fleeing abuse. Workers have little recourse in the face of exploitation, and many experts argue that the system facilitates modern slavery.

 

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