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!

SEND your gLOVE LAUNCH

I'm still on a bit of a (exhausted) high from the success of our launch event last night!  The star of the show was Anali...earlier in the day she met up with Baronness Miller of Chilthorne Domer and Russell Brown MP both of whom are Chairs of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Street Children.  I think they were both much warmer and more friendly than Anali was expecting!  They quizzed her on what it is like to be a child domestic worker in Peru and were impressed enough with her answers to suggest she would make a good politician!  Going inside parliament was very exciting for all of us...so a big thanks to the Consortium for Street Children for organising this meeting for Anali!!  And I'm proud of myself for tweeting while I was in the House of Commons - that's a first.


So, Anali is here until Sunday, speaking about her experience as a child domestic worker in Lima to help us launch our campaign for governments to ratify the ILO Domestic Workers Convention.  The campaign is called 'SEND your gLOVE' - it uses the humble rubber glove as a symbol for protection.   Rubber gloves protect our hands from the hazards of domestic chores and we see the ILO Convention in the same way - as a 'protective glove' for children from exploitation in domestic work.

Yesterday was the big launch day.  We had an exhibition of paintings from child domestic workers, we showed our 10 minute film (shot with children in Togo, Peru and India).  Jonathan and I both spoke about child domestic work, Children Unite and our 'SEND your gLOVE' campaign...and Anali spoke about her experience as a child domestic worker in Peru.  It was a moving speech, Anali is an eloquent, passionate campaigner - and yes, yes, I had a tear in my eye as she spoke.

After the speeches there was a great buzz in the room as everyone wrote their messages of support on rubber gloves or on postcards.  The gloves were hung up on a washing line we'd put up and people were chatting to Anali, giving their postcards to her (she will take them back with her to Peru and will use them in a campaign event targeting the Peruvian Government to ratify the ILO Convention). It was a wonderful evening - particularly for those of us that have been planning it for so long; a team effort from the trustees, staff and volunteers of Children Unite.

And it was the first step for us in building a community of people who are united in their concern for child domestic workers and who are prepared to take action to protect them from exploitation and abuse.

The Season of Good Marketing Ideas

I faced the dilemma this year of whether or not to send Christmas cards (as a marketing exercise) as Children Unite, I guess, officially exists (although we don't officially launch until March).  It’s because I’m signed up to a number of ‘small business’ related email subscriptions that seem to constantly be promoting the need for flyers or re-branding or how to get 20,000 followers on twitter in 5 minutes.  So, I felt under pressure to use the Season of Good Will as a marketing opportunity and ‘promote my business’ to everyone I know!   On the other hand, it makes a refreshing change to get something ‘nice’ like a card through the post (rather than junk mail) – but only if you actually know the person who sent it I tend to find.

On balance I sent a virtual Christmas card.  And I don’t think I can be accused of bowing to the pressure to use it as a marketing ploy – as you can see for yourself (below) it’s from ‘all the staff at Children Unite’ and is an animation of Jonathan and I dressed up in Santa hats, dancing with Santa to…you guessed it…’Santa Claus is coming to town’!! Not a desperately serious card.

But I realised that nearly all the people I’d want to send a Children Unite Christmas card to - I’d be happy to make them laugh. I have no need to ‘promote my business’ to them. In fact, the ‘family’ Christmas card that Jonathan and I sent out to people this year was very similar – slightly more embarrassing as it happens - consisting of both us with our two daughters dressed up in flares and huge afros dancing to some vaguely Christmassy funky tune!!  (and no, I am not adding that here!).  But many people on the list got both cards as it is hard for Jonathan and I to differentiate between our friends and our work colleagues...all one big happy family!!

So, for anyone who didn’t get a card (sorry) and wishing you a belated Happy Christmas and Merry New Year from all of us at Children Unite!!!

THE story from Costa Rica

I’ve been in Costa Rica for 10 days working with one of our partners DNI (Defensa di Ninos y Ninas Internacional).  I have been commissioned by Anti-Slavery International to run capacity building workshops in Costa Rica, Tanzania and the Philippines over the next 6 months.  I’ve just finished the first of these in Costa Rica facilitating with Children Unite’s Chair, Mariela who also happens to work for Anti-Slavery and is a fluent Spanish speaker.

We were able to visit a slum area in San Jose called La Carpio – where DNI runs a project for child domestic workers.  La Carpio is also called ‘little Nicaragua’ as nearly all it’s residents having migrated from Nicaragua, it is very poor. We were given a tour of La Carpio by Nila – a local community leader who explained all the community activities she was involved in as volunteer, (on top of her 2 jobs as a domestic worker).  Her commitment to her community was inspiring and I’ve noticed that the more I visit grass-roots organisations the more ‘Nilas’ I meet.  I know this sounds like a cliché but they are the real heroes.  They are the ones I think of when people tell me how ‘good’ I am because I work on this issue and I squirm because I know that the Nilas of this world make so much more of a sacrifice than I ever could.  But, this time I made Nila laugh her socks off and I want to share my (slightly humiliating) story with you!!   Nila was showing Mariela and I the dirty black river in the community (which was quite a torrent as there’s been a cyclone over Costa Rica for the past week) and over the river was a rickety old swing bridge.  As we got closer Mariela and I asked if we’d have to cross the river and Nila said no which we were relieved about. So we stood at one end and watched the kids running across it without a care in the world.  Mariela was first to succumb to the  inner challenge to cross it and off she went with two girls who had also been our tour guides with Nila.  So, of course, as Mariela had done it I felt obliged and started crossing…however, half way across I heard lots of shouting (from Mariela) and the bridge started swinging and wobbling as a bunch of 5 or 6 boys were shaking it, jumping up and down on it and laughing at me - the gringa, clinging on for dear life and screaming at them – one of boys came racing under my arms and up the other side.  I eventually made it across the bridge but then had to think about getting back.! Me and the two girls (yep they went across again!) waited for the boys to go a bit further away and then we practically ran back over the bridge shouting ‘rapido, rapido’ in case the boys came to play the trick on me again!!  Mariela was very worried about me but Nila was laughing her head off – it was at that point we found out that she won’t cross the bridge ever and thought we were completely mad!!  But when Mariela questioned me about it I realized I hadn’t been scared, I should have been, but I wasn’t and I rather admired the boys…if I’d have been one these boys I would have done the same.  I don’t really know what the moral of this tale is but Mariela said ‘THIS is the story from La Carpio’ so I guess there doesn’t really need to be one this time!