How to show your support for our migrant friends on International Migrants Day

The non-profit organisation works tirelessly to assist low-wage migrant workers when they face difficulty and exploitation, and advocates for better working conditions for them. Signing up to volunteer means you'll go through structured training before being assigned to support in one of a number of areas including casework, communications, meal programmes, and research. Donations are also welcome. And if you’d like to #supportlocal too, check out local indie-rock outfit Subsonic Eye’s Bedroom Sessions EP, where all sale proceeds go towards TWC2.

The charity is dedicated to empowering and supporting migrant workers, including domestic and non-domestic workers, who find themselves victims of human rights violations, facing abuse and exploitation. It also offers a place of refuge, legal aid, and a variety of activities and services, from English classes to counselling sessions, to help them through their period of crisis. You can get involved by volunteering or making a donation. This includes sponsoring an outing for migrant workers or contributing women’s clothing, unopened food, or toiletries to its shelter.

Since 2018, the biennial festival has been bringing people from all walks of life together to share human-centric perspectives and dialogues on migration, especially in a world where migrants are often stamped with vitriolic narratives. This year, it rolled out as a virtual event in November. But ICYMI, you can still catch up as it lives on the internet via globalmigrantfestival.com. Highlights include the finals of the Migrant Workers Poetry Competition whose winner is Rajendran Vijayakanth from Tamil Nadu, India.

Speaking of Migrant Workers Poetry Competition, fellow participant Ramasamy Madhavan also makes short films. His eye-opening, self-made movie $alary Day documents the financial troubles Work Permit holders face when they first arrive in Singapore. It has been screened at City Square, The Projector, and the ArtScience Museum, and has garnered more than 30,000 views on YouTube. 

“Because of the ongoing Covid situation, I think it's more important for Singaporeans to watch the film. There are a lot of misconceptions about migrant workers and some people also blame them for the spread of the virus,” Ramasamy tells us. Read our full interview with the man himself here, and watch $alary Day on YouTube.

Transcreated by Cyril Wong and translated from Bengali by Fariha Imran and Farouk Ahammed, Md Mukul Hossine’s collection of poems was shaped from the friendship between volunteers of community clinic HealthServe and migrant construction workers. Md Mukul Hossine first arrived in Singapore as an employee of the construction sector, and his poems double as a magnifying glass to help readers think deeper, understand better, and listen closely to the voices that are hardly heard in the Lion City. Purchase Me Migrant ($12) from purchase from Ethos Books.

Fill your living room with the sounds of Migrants Band Singapore, formed by a group of foreign workers in Singapore. The group spotlights Bengali culture through captivating music, theatre, and poetry. It also provides a free platform for others to learn and practice music. Listen to Migrants Band Singapore via their Facebook page.