Indonesia - IOM X will premiere Open Doors: An IOM X Production tomorrow (25/5) in Jakarta, Indonesia. The video is a drama aimed at preventing the exploitation of domestic workers in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region.

The film carries a message to employers of domestic workers that a positive relationship with their domestic employees, based on trust and communication, helps create a happy home.

IOM X is a campaign to encourage safe migration and public action to stop exploitation and human trafficking. It is produced in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Domestic workers are employed in private homes, providing services such as cleaning, laundry, shopping, cooking and caring for children and the elderly. Globally, one in every 13 female wage earners is employed in domestic work.

Of the estimated 52 million domestic workers worldwide, 41 percent are from Asia Pacific. Estimates suggest that as many as 1.9 million domestic workers from the Asia Pacific region may be exploited in some way.

“Employers are the change-makers when it comes to stopping the exploitation of domestic workers. The aim of Open Doors is to encourage them to take the lead in creating happy home environments where exploitation can’t flourish. Making sure their domestic workers have a weekly day off, to spend where and how they please, as well as a way to communicate regularly with family and friends, are both steps in the right direction,” said IOM X program leader Tara Dermott.

Open Doors was produced in partnership with the USAID, the ASEAN Secretariat, UN Women and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and in consultation with government partners across the ASEAN region.

It is a three-part drama about families and their domestic workers, based in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. The three stories follow the challenges of each busy family as they balance demanding work schedules, household duties and raising children, with the help of domestic workers from the Philippines, Indonesia and Myanmar.

Over 200 people are expected to attend the Jakarta premiere, including representatives from Indonesian and US governments, UN Women, DFAT, the counter-trafficking community, domestic worker networks, and local and international media.

A trailer for Open Doors can be viewed at: http://bit.ly/1qFZSXw

The full video will be viewable at http://IOMX.org/HappyHome from 11:00 (GMT+7) on 25 May 2016, and will air on selected television channels across the region in June 2016.

For further information please contact Mia Barrett at IOM X in Bangkok. Tel: +66.847052114, Email: mbarrett@iom.int