Where do you go to seek help when you encounter mental health problems?
If you are like many Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong,
you would keep to yourself until you find alternative solutions.
“Pagtitiis” is the first solution, according to a study by
Jan Erron Celebrado, a Filipino doctorate student, in his dissertation at Lingnan
University in Hong Kong.
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| PINDUTIN ITO PARA SA DETALYE |
The domestic workers’ choices “are shaped by forces such as
their responsibilities to family back home, expectations tied to their gender
roles, and the insecurity of their temporary labor migration,” he said in his
doctorate dissertation.
Only when the problem enters “critical moments” do the
workers seek personal and organized support networks such as friends and fellow
DHs, religious groups and non-government organizations (NGOs) which provide
them with informal mental health support.
In the end, the professional support networks which provide
the physical health intervention and formal mental health support that they
need, is their last choice.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
“Policies on mental health must recognize and sustain the
informal support networks,” Celebrado said.
“Filipino migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong have built
and maintained their own support networks (e.g., transnational families,
employers, fellow MDWs, online groups, civil society orga
nizations). These
networks should be seen as a core mental health infrastructure and not just
informal supplements that fill in around the formal healthcare system,” he
said.
“Civil society organizations in the Philippines and Hong Kong (e.g., churches, migrant organizations, non-government organizations, and charities) should (also) be formally recognized as partners in supporting migrant workers’ mental health,” he added.
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| Celebrado gives a preview of his study at the anniversary party of the Social Justice for Migrant Workers |
Celebrado is a PhD candidate in Sociology and Social Policy
at Lingnan University, funded by the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme and the
Belt and Road Scholarship.
He holds a master’s degree in Women and Development from the
University of the Philippines Diliman and a bachelor’s degree in Clinical
Psychology from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Manila.
