Security in labor migration in the Philippines: National honor, family solidarity, and migrants' protection

Abstract

The question of labor migration has been dividing the Philippine society since the 1970s: The economic gains, "brain drain", labor exploitation, and health problems induced by migration constitute some of the most important issues that preoccupy the country. The considerable number of reported crimes and abuse against Filipino migrants, especially women (that have exceeded male migrants in numbers in the 1990s), has triggered social debates concerning the impact of migration on human security. The recent wave of Filipino mother breadwinners has also raised concerns about its social costs on family members left in the country, particularly children (Asis et al. 2004 ; Wolf 1997 ). As one of the most important and organized migratory phenomena in the world, Filipino overseas migration has been a popular object of empirical and theoretical studies in the domain of social sciences, both in the Philippines and in many receiving countries (See Choy 2003 ; Mozère 2004 ; Ogaya 2004 ) . However, the question of human security in the Filipino migration context remains an underexplored area.