As PAWIS commemorates International Migrants' Day (December 18), it continues to fight for the rights and welfare of Filipino and other migrant workers around the world.
The social and economic conditions of migrant-sending countries are worsening, forcing migrants to look abroad for safety and better livelihoods: In the Philippines, for example, thousands have been killed with impunity in Duterte's "War on Drugs" and war against the legal progressive movement.
At the same time, the US, as with other migrant-receiving countries, intensifies its anti-immigrant and anti-worker actions, including deportations, the repeal of DACA and elimination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for some immigrants, increasing labor contractualization, and the expansion of guest worker programs that render migrant workers more vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation.
PAWIS continues to educate the community on the rotten conditions that force people to migrate for work, build the member leadership and skills to sustain a strong grassroots movement, and campaign for more just policies. This video highlights some of its work from the past year.