Virtual live show for foreign domestic workers to recognise their contributions
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The Centre for Domestic Employees maintains a 24/7 hotline to assist domestic workers in their native language.
PHOTO: ST FILE
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SINGAPORE - About 9,000 people, including migrant domestic workers and their employers in Singapore, tuned in to a virtual live show on Sunday (June 13) for pre-recorded and live performances by domestic employees who sang, danced and played various musical instruments.
In the three-hour annual show streamed on the Centre for Domestic Employees' (CDE) Facebook page, viewers were also treated to performances by regional artistes such as singer Delon Thamrin from Indonesia and Khin Su Shin from Myanmar.
The event was jointly organised by the CDE and the National Trades Union Congress to recognise the contributions of domestic employees amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Minister of State for Manpower Gan Siow Huang, who attended the event virtually, affirmed the Manpower Ministry's (MOM) commitment to supporting domestic workers through more house visits, volunteers and a 24/7 hotline.
Since April 5, officers appointed by MOM have been conducting house calls, and meeting domestic workers and employers at their homes to check on their living and working conditions.
Ms Gan said the ministry is helping the CDE conduct more in-person interviews to cover all first-time domestic workers by the end of this year, to ensure they are settling in well.
She noted that the CDE has more than 1,000 volunteers and maintains a 24/7 hotline to assist domestic workers in their native language.
"They befriend domestic workers, conduct outreach to disseminate the latest information, and keep a lookout for distressed domestic workers within the community," she said, adding that more programmes will be added in the near future.
She cited the former Raffles Girls' School in Anderson Road and the former Geylang Serai Community Club at 99 Haig Road as two places that domestic workers can visit on their rest days to get together and participate in activities such as fitness classes and first aid workshops.
The Anderson Road site is temporarily closed due to tightened Covid-19 measures, but the Haig Road venue reopened on Sunday (June 13).
