I'm Genevive, I’m 29 years old and I was born and raised in the Philippines in Tagoloan Misamis Oriental. I graduated from a caregiver NC2 course and have worked in health care services for two years. I have worked in a hospital as a nursing aide assistant for three months and I was appointed from a probationary employee to be a regular worker. I’m sad to say I quit my job because I did not earn enough salary to sustain my family’s needs, and that’s why I decided to apply abroad for the first time even though I did not know what was waiting for me there, and what my future would look like being far away from my family.

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I first worked abroad in Qatar before the family I worked for brought me to the UK, but the emotional and physical abuse continued in the same way. One day, I escaped and a woman at a bus stop contacted the Voice of Domestic Workers for me. They supported me and I quickly became an active member of the organisation to campaign for domestic worker rights.

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The Voice of Domestic Workers has had a huge impact on me because of the access to classes, such as IT, finance, and body and mind, English teaching, and the ability to be involved with media communication. The counselling service has also helped me a lot to deal with mental health issues that have arisen as a result of our previous employers. 

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It is important for domestic workers to speak out about their issues and tell the world that we should be proud to be a part of this community. We have to speak out to fight for our rights and ensure that the government listens to our campaigns and our demands. We know we have the power to stand up for what is right and what is wrong.