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Migrant Domestic Workers (MDW) are a critical source of support for many households in Hong Kong, particularly for those with young children and the elderly.

Despite legal protections, once a MDW’s pregnancy is announced or discovered, many of these expectant mothers are unlawfully fired, pressured to leave or resign because they, and their employers, simply don’t know what else to do.

A pregnant MDW faces substantial obstacles and hardships when her employment is terminated. She immediately becomes homeless and within two weeks, when her work visa expires, loses access to public welfare and healthcare services vital for prenatal screening.

For those unable to return home, for fear of persecution by family and friends for being an unemployed, single mother with a mixed race child, their children are typically undocumented, stateless and lack access to essential services including medical care and immunisations, shelter and education.

Often destitute, these babies and their mothers are among the most vulnerable and under-served in Hong Kong.

PathFinders helps to bridge the gap in the follwoing ways:

Today on World Contraception Day, we celebrate our important work of empowering the MDW community with sound knowledge about maternity protection; and in so doing address misconceptions about a MDW pregnancy in Hong Kong. 💛 

Together with some of our Ambassadors, we have also been imparting sexual and reproductive healthcare knowledge to the MDW community, which includes accurate use of contraceptives; as well as raising awareness about love scams and healthy relationships. 

Our work in the past 15 years has helped us understand that these are some of the challenges MDWs face:
🌻Lack of knowledge about suitable contraceptives
🌻Inability to get access to certain contraceptives
🌻Using unauthorised contraceptives (which can be unsafe)
🌻Inequality in their relationships (when they feel pressurised to use or not to use contraceptives during sexual intimacy)

Perhaps one of the greatest challenges commonly encountered by MDWs is when contraceptions is forced upon them by their employers. Some employers insist that their MDWs, often against their will, go through regular contraceptive injections and take contraceptive pills; just so they don't fall pregnant during their employment contract. Many MDWs feel powerless to say no, for fear of being fired from their job. 

We urge MDW employers to instead have respectful, meaningful conversations with their MDWs about their life goals (which includes family planning); and signpost them to accurate resources, offered by NGOs such as Family Planning Association of Hong Kong. 💪

Our partner FPA (www.famplan.org.hk) has a wide range of family planning information in English, Chinese and Bahasa Indonesia.

#AllChildrenMatter 🌻

今天是世界避孕日,融幼社一向積極為外傭社群提供有關生育保障的重要知識,藉以消除社會對外傭懷孕的誤解。

我們亦透過機構的大使,向外傭傳授有關性與生殖健康方面的知識,包括採取正確的避孕方法,並提高外傭社群對愛情騙案和兩性關係的認知。

過去15年的工作讓我們更了解外傭面對的各種挑戰:
🌻 缺乏採取適當避孕措施的知識
🌻 沒有獲得避孕藥或用具的途徑
🌻 使用未經許可的避孕藥或用具(可能導致不安全)
🌻 兩性關係中面對不平等(在發生性行為時使用或不使用避孕藥或用具感受到壓力)

外傭常遇到的其中一項挑戰可能是僱主強迫她們避孕。有僱主在違背外傭的意願下,堅持要求外傭定期打避孕針並服用避孕藥,目的是讓她們不會在工作合約生效期間懷孕。外傭往往因擔心被解僱而感到無力拒絕。

我們鼓勵僱主與外傭就外傭的人生目標與規劃(包括生育計劃)進行尊重、有意義的對話,同時向她們提供接收正確資訊的渠道,例如香港家庭計劃指導會 - www.famplan.org.hk 💪

我們的合作伙伴香港家庭計劃指導會提供中英文及印尼語有關家庭計劃的各項重要資訊。

#AllChildrenMatter 🌻
Today on World Contraception Day, we celebrate our important work of empowering the MDW community with sound knowledge about maternity protection; and in so doing address misconceptions about a MDW pregnancy in Hong Kong. 💛 Together with some of our Ambassadors, we have also been imparting sexual and reproductive healthcare knowledge to the MDW community, which includes accurate use of contraceptives; as well as raising awareness about love scams and healthy relationships. Our work in the past 15 years has helped us understand that these are some of the challenges MDWs face: 🌻Lack of knowledge about suitable contraceptives 🌻Inability to get access to certain contraceptives 🌻Using unauthorised contraceptives (which can be unsafe) 🌻Inequality in their relationships (when they feel pressurised to use or not to use contraceptives during sexual intimacy) Perhaps one of the greatest challenges commonly encountered by MDWs is when contraceptions is forced upon them by their employers. Some employers insist that their MDWs, often against their will, go through regular contraceptive injections and take contraceptive pills; just so they don't fall pregnant during their employment contract. Many MDWs feel powerless to say no, for fear of being fired from their job. We urge MDW employers to instead have respectful, meaningful conversations with their MDWs about their life goals (which includes family planning); and signpost them to accurate resources, offered by NGOs such as Family Planning Association of Hong Kong. 💪 Our partner FPA (www.famplan.org.hk) has a wide range of family planning information in English, Chinese and Bahasa Indonesia. #AllChildrenMatter 🌻 今天是世界避孕日,融幼社一向積極為外傭社群提供有關生育保障的重要知識,藉以消除社會對外傭懷孕的誤解。 我們亦透過機構的大使,向外傭傳授有關性與生殖健康方面的知識,包括採取正確的避孕方法,並提高外傭社群對愛情騙案和兩性關係的認知。 過去15年的工作讓我們更了解外傭面對的各種挑戰: 🌻 缺乏採取適當避孕措施的知識 🌻 沒有獲得避孕藥或用具的途徑 🌻 使用未經許可的避孕藥或用具(可能導致不安全) 🌻 兩性關係中面對不平等(在發生性行為時使用或不使用避孕藥或用具感受到壓力) 外傭常遇到的其中一項挑戰可能是僱主強迫她們避孕。有僱主在違背外傭的意願下,堅持要求外傭定期打避孕針並服用避孕藥,目的是讓她們不會在工作合約生效期間懷孕。外傭往往因擔心被解僱而感到無力拒絕。 我們鼓勵僱主與外傭就外傭的人生目標與規劃(包括生育計劃)進行尊重、有意義的對話,同時向她們提供接收正確資訊的渠道,例如香港家庭計劃指導會 - www.famplan.org.hk 💪 我們的合作伙伴香港家庭計劃指導會提供中英文及印尼語有關家庭計劃的各項重要資訊。 #AllChildrenMatter 🌻
Monday is MomDay at PathFinders! 💛 

Today we’re celebrating #WorkingMomsHK🌻: Divina Orpilla Molina, PathFinders' Ambassador, Migrant Domestic Worker

👧🏻 Fiona Gale Molina (20) 👦🏻 Filhager Orpilla Molina (13)
Monday is MomDay at PathFinders! 💛 Today we’re celebrating #WorkingMomsHK🌻: Divina Orpilla Molina, PathFinders' Ambassador, Migrant Domestic Worker 👧🏻 Fiona Gale Molina (20) 👦🏻 Filhager Orpilla Molina (13) "I've been working in Hong Kong for 9 years. I'm married with 2 kids. My elder daughter Fiona is in college majoring in Political Science and my younger son Filhager is in Grade 8. Long distance parenting has never been easy. I miss my children so much. When I am busy with work during the day, I am unable to call them. In the evening, after I finish my work, I can't speak to them as they are already asleep. There are feelings of guilt because I take care of other kids but my kids are raised by someone else. When they are sick, I cannot be by their side. I left my children under the care of my husband and his mother (my mother-in-law) as they are my kin. I trust that they will not forsake my children. When my children were younger, they seldom talked to me - especially when my husband was not around. But as they get older and learn to use cell phones, our communication has improved. With my daughter, we talked about her accomplishments in school and how she maintained her high grades. She also showed her paintings to me. My son is like a typical teenager who remembers me when he wants something. Our relationship is a bit distant because he was only 14 months old when I left him to work abroad. My daughter likes writing. She's a journalist so she always shows me her masterpieces. She likes to eat out at fast food joints and restaurants. She loves fried chicken, pasta and desserts. My son is an easygoing boy. He loves adventures. He loves eating. He loves drawing too and he is one of the cartoonists in his school."