Visiting Angel...guest blogger

Angel Benedicto, former child domestic worker from Tanzania is coming to the UK in June to promote the rights of children in domestic work, speaking at events and receiving an award from Her Majesty the Queen. Children Unite has been working with Angel for the past five years, helping her to develop her organisation, WoteSawa, which empowers child domestic workers to advocate for their rights.  Angel will be Children Unite's guest blogger for the week she is with us....read her daily blogs which will start from Sunday 14th June...

Guest Blogger: The Power of the Pen

Alison Judd (Methodist Women in Britain), Marissa Begonia (Justice for Domestic Workers), Diana Holland (UNITE), Catherine Kenny (Kalayaan), Owen Tudor (TUC), Jonathan Blagbrough (Children Unite)

Introducing our guest blogger Alison Judd who is World Federation Area Officer for Methodist Women in Britain and who has tirelessly campaigned on Children Unite's SEND your gLOVE campaign: 

Are you one of those who sent postcards or wrote a letter to Vince Cable or your local MP asking our government to ratify the International Labour Organization’s  Convention on Domestic Workers (C 189)? Perhaps you signed one of the 1242 Fair Trade rubber gloves that were handed over to Tessa Munt MP at the Department of Business Innovations and Skills (BIS) in Westminster on  8 July 2013. Well the good news is that Vince Cable took notice and invited representatives from Children Unite (Jonathan Blagbrough) and Methodist Women in Britain (me) along with others from the TUC, UNITE, and other concerned NGOs to a round table meeting about the protection of domestic workers. This took place at the BIS Department on Wednesday 12 February.

There were around 15 of us in all and we were given half and hour to make our views known.  I felt I was there as a ‘concerned member of the public’ and more particularly, as it stated on my large table- top name label, representing Methodist Women in Britain. Vince Cable’s opening remarks showed he didn’t see the point of the C 189 believing there are already sufficient laws in place offering protection to domestic workers and that this Convention would require government inspections of private homes. He told us that a new Modern Anti-slavery Bill is being drafted (by Karen Bradley MP, who was also present) and invited us to identify the gaps in existing legislation so they could be addressed. He even suggested that he wanted to see how the Convention worked in other countries before agreeing to sign up to it ourselves. Owen Tudor (from the TUC) was quick to challenge him on that saying the UK government should not rely on other countries to test out such legislation for us but should take reponsibility and exercise leadership.

We told Vince Cable we disagreed with his assessment of the Convention and of the ability of existing legislation to protect vulnerable domestic workers; that domestic worker agencies are not properly regulated, and should not be exempt from health and safety issues. He appeared to listen carefully to what we were saying and he certainly made sure that everyone there had a chance to speak.  In fact he chaired the meeting as I would have expected: firmly and expertly. I sensed there was a sort of protocol that everyone was observing (even in my case without knowing what the protocol was!) Anyway, it was pretty clear when it was my turn to speak and I had my mini- speech  prepared!  

Since we were encouraged to identify the gaps in existing legislation, I suggested that one of the gaps involved the protection of children. I urged the BIS to realise that implementing the C189 would effectively address the needs of vulnerable child domestic workers who need even more protection from abuse and injustice than adults. I also hope Vince got the message that Methodist Women in Britain, being in connexion with 61 million Methodists world wide, are a force to be reckoned with!

Keep writing!

Alison Judd

World Federation Area Officer, Methodist Women in Britain

Thanks to Audrey Guichon of Anti-Slavery International who also attended the meeting at BIS and took the photo!

"I'm not a charity you know!"

As I’m writing this at the beginning of January after a 5 days in a cottage in the middle of Wales with no TV (yes I said no TV!! – my daughters were horrified!) I’ve had a bit of time to reflect on the year.  And, I’m ashamed to say that I’ve realised I’m a bit apologetic when it comes to presenting Children Unite to the world.  I’ve realized that when I explain Children Unite to ‘the wider public’ I use an apologetic tone and something like ‘you know we’re very, very small’ or, ‘we’re not your typical charity’.

But I’ve been meeting up with an executive coach, who has got to know my way of thinking, the values I hold dear and the vision I have for Children Unite and at our last meeting she summarized all this for me.  I was inspired by her description of Children Unite, she talked of us being ‘cutting edge’ and ‘not tied down to old systems’– but this depiction felt in contrast to my own explanations!  How odd?!  So, I’ve been reflecting on this over the holidays and feel the need to share a few of my reflections.

So, everyone’s typical view of us as a ‘charity’ is that we raise money, which we send to local organisations who provide shelter, education and support for child domestic workers.  Essentially the ‘charity’ is a fundraising organisation for others.  But this is not what we do – tempting as it has been in difficult times to apply for funding that would make us take on this role. We want to work in equal partnership with local organisations and, preferably, in partnership with children from these local organisations i.e. who are traditionally termed as ‘the beneficiaries’.  Which, in the international development sector is rather a revolutionary approach and very difficult to actually achieve.

We are setting up a Technical Advice Service for other charities – advising them on how to work with child domestic workers, how to improve their services – and this runs like a consultancy business. We charge a daily fee for our advice. Those working in the development or rights sector are used to this – as most charities have to contract ‘consultants’ at some point for specific tasks that require specialist expertise – for example making an evaluation of their services.  However, explaining this to ‘the public’ is harder because ‘charity’ has become synonymous with providing services for free. You’ve all heard the expression “I’m not a charity you know” from someone who wants payment!

By 2015 we envisage that our Technical Advice Service will fund our advocacy work and are currently recruiting Trustees to help us realise this goal. But, in the meantime, I am looking for organisations that will fund projects where – for example, we support and promote local campaigns that have been devised by the children themselves.

So, in the spirit of resolutions – I am resolved not to be apologetic about Children Unite, I am proud that Children Unite does not fit the usual mould.  It is a cutting edge organisation that, in collaboration with children themselves, fights for their rights and helps them to improve their world….or something like that, I’m still working on the wording but, now, the heart is there!!

'Invisible chains'

Guest Blogger: Jonathan Blagbrough, Head of Technical Advice at Children Unite

Recently, the issue of domestic servitude has cropped up in the news – this time in the case of the three women allegedly held for 30 years in a south London house. It’s the first time I’ve heard the police talk about the ‘invisible chains’ of emotional and psychological pressure – something which slavery activists have long recognized is an integral part of controlling others. These invisible bonds – created through threat, fear, dependency and need – are critical to understanding why people in situations of servitude, trafficking, forced labour or any other form of slavery don’t necessarily escape, even when they seem to have ample opportunity to do so.

For me, the situation of domestic workers around the world always springs particularly to mind. While it is true that the majority are not trapped in slavery, their situation and treatment often makes them particularly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. At the same time, it is becoming better understood that the best way of protecting them is to accept them as fully fledged workers who are entitled to the same standard of support and protection as any other worker. In the UK, the travesty is that while the government talks up its modern slavery bill it is still inadequately protecting domestic workers by its refusal to ratify the ILO’s Domestic Workers Convention (2011), which would ensure them basic workers rights.

What is less understood and accepted is that these standards should also extend to younger domestic workers (usually those 15-17 year olds) who are old enough to legally work, who are not in hazardous situations and who are not working at the expense of their education – but who, because they are under 18, need added protection and closer monitoring than others. This approach – articulated clearly in the 2011 Domestic Workers Convention – emphasises what international child labour laws have always said: that young people who are entitled to work and want to, should be able to do so in safety and without exploitation.

At the same time, policy on child domestic work has tended in recent years to focus on blanket bans, resulting in a ‘one size fits all’ approach to tackling situations which although having many similarities, can also differ hugely. A policy re-think is necessary to cater for these working adolescents who currently slip through social safety nets because of the ambiguity over their status as workers. This was the subject of the recent All Party Parliamentary Group on Street Children (5 November), prompted by Children Unite’s 2013 Policy Briefing and the publication of Ending child labour in domestic work and protecting young workers from abusive working conditions (ILO, 2013). The sooner we can accept that some older children can work, the better able we will be to protect them from exploitation.

Celebrating bangs that make you jump into action

Anali Reyes, child domestic worker from Peru, meeting the
co-chairs of the APPG on Street Children at Parliament last year

We’ve been gearing up for a meeting in Parliament on bonfire night next week.  For those of you who aren’t English, Bonfire Night is when us English celebrate the execution of a Catholic dissenter who tried to blow up Parliament by placing effigies of him on huge bonfires, setting off fireworks and eating burnt sausages.  But we won’t be doing that until a bit later, earlier on in the day we’ll be in the very same place he tried to blow up – talking about what Parliamentarians can do to support child domestic workers. 

This is a big event for us – with the support of the Consortium for Street Children  - who administer the All Party Parliamentary Group on Street Children – I will be talking about the link between street children and child domestic workers, our colleague from ChildHope will be explaining this on a more practical level and Jonathan will outline the policy implications that the new ILO Domestic Workers Convention have for those of us working on child labour issues.  I’m using quotes from children to illustrate the various points I’m making to explain child domestic work.

Jonathan and I have been working in this field for 20 years each and today, when we were discussing our respective presentations we were taken aback by a quote I will be using in my presentation of a girl who was raped by her employer.  Even though we tend to think of ourselves as hardened to the issue, and we try not to ‘sensationalise’ it by only talking about the most exploitative examples, nevertheless I think we were both taken aback by the starkness of the quote.  It seemed to hang there in silence after I’d said it, and Jonathan was particularly struck by the quote as it wasn’t part of a ‘narrative’ so he didn’t know what happened before or after (although I do know what happened to the child as it is from a research project I’m finalizing into the sexual abuse of child domestic workers in Nepal).  This is the quote:

After being raped I was walking on the street without knowing what to do. I found the brother (of her employer) I told him everything about what happened to me and he took me to the police and filed a case over there.’  Sweta, Nepal

Every now and then in our line of work, usually when you’re feeling low or you have a headache or something you read a story, a quote or a fact, and it makes you want to weep.  The starkness of some children’s lives hits you – a bit like that slight physical shock sensation you get after an enormously loud banger (firework) goes off!  Neither of us will react in this way next week when we’re in Parliament doing our best to convince the UK Government to take some action to protect child domestic workers from this kind of abuse.  However, it just proves, that you never really get ‘hardened’ to this kind of thing.  In its own way this is a good thing - it motivates us to keep on trying, when we could become cynical and stop.

Note:  the photo shows Anali with Baroness Miller and Russell Brown MP, two of the three Co-Chairs of the APPG on Street Children in March 2012

Going to bed with a mosquito

OK I admit it I’ve been cheating on the blog posting front….since May I’ve written posts but they were all from a diary I kept during a four day trek in May in Nepal.  My excuse? Simply that I’ve been inundated with work – not all of it for Children Unite.

So I’ll do a long blog post to make up for it….I wanted to share some of the thinking I’ve been doing during this time.  Over the past year I’ve been part of an Action Learning Set – a forum where six leaders of children’s rights NGOs have been gathering for a day each month to share our leadership issues.  Action Learning seems to be about peer support and learning – all of us are running small children’s rights charities and have bumped into each other over our careers (in my youth I volunteered for two of the organisations in the set!)  We are dealing with similar issues – funding crises, management issues, dealing with partner organisations or boards of trustees so it is useful to talk through our concerns with other people who can understand and may well have been in the same place a couple of months ago. 

Children Unite is the smallest organisation in the set but one of the surprising things I’ve learned over the year is that I no longer see us as following the same trajectory as all the other organisations.  Originally I had imagined I would learn much from my fellow Action Learning Set colleagues that would help me to develop Children Unite and, essentially, follow in their footsteps.  However, late in 2012 we didn’t get a grant we were rather dependent on and this forced us to think a bit differently about how we would ‘survive’ and indeed, whether we should survive.  This situation, together with some of the issues raised by my colleagues, has made me re-think Children Unite’s development. A phrase I particularly remember from the learning sets was ‘funding treadmill’ – to be honest, it sends shivers down my spine as it conjures up dull as ditchwater work that never ends – slaves to the funders demands!  We are all doing similar work and there is very little funding out there so we end up all applying to the same funding agencies for grants to continue our work and we’re on a kind of treadmill…application deadlines, assessments, evaluations, audits…and so it goes on.

I have to admit that, being a campaigner, I don’t actually like the public image of ‘a charity’ – it makes me cringe a little bit (give money to a charity = ease your conscience = nothing actually changes).  Of course all the organisations in the learning set are doing excellent work that changes children’s lives – it’s more about the public perception of what ‘a charity’ does that makes me uncomfortable.  So, if Children Unite is to move away from this image it is OK with me…it’s just that, of course, there’s even less funding for organisations that focus on advocacy work! So, this is the challenge ahead.  How to continue doing what we set out to do (give child domestic workers a voice).  In June we launched our Technical Advice Service – which is essentially for other charities, encouraging them to work with child domestic workers.  This is definitely not in the realm of the public image of ‘a charity’ but it does recognise that, as a very small organisation, perhaps our best role is to influence bigger organisations to work with this group children that we care so passionately about.  I am reminded and will end my post with a quote that has been attributed to Anita Roddick (who set up the Body Shop and has certainly inspired me):

“If you think you’re too small to have an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito.”