Damayan Migrant Workers Association Inc

“There are no classes of members in the organization. All members have equal rights in the organization. While there us a board of directors that serves as the governing body, the board members do not have extra privilees and have the same rights as the members. The governing body is directly elected by the eligible members during its annual membership assembly.”

“The governing body and management are furnigshed first with a copy of the draft form 990. Form 990 will only be filed when it has been approved and signed by management.”

“No member of the board of directors are allowed to participate in any meeting, discussion or vote on any matter in which he or she or a member of his or her immediate family has potential conflict of interest because of having material economic interest regarding the matter being discussed. When such a situation presents itself, the board member announces his or her potential conflict, be excused from the meeting until discussion is over on the matter involved. The board chairperson or whoever is the chair of the meeting will make an inquiry if such conflict appears to exist when the board member has not disclosed the matter.”

“The organiztion will only provide governing documents, conflict of interest, and financial statements to the public upon request.”

“To correct the balance sheet and income and expense sections.”

“Damayan empowers filipino migrant workers to fight for their labor, health, gender, and immigrant rights. Established in 2002, our purpose is to build workers' power to eliminate labor and human trafficking, fight wage theft and discrimination, and demand fair labor standards to achieve economic and social justice for all.”

“2023 was the executive transition year for the organization and so the organization engaged in critical transition activities like search and hiring of the new executive director.”

“The organization did not cease conducting or make significant changes in how it conducts any program services.”

“Social services our social services program addresses health and wellness gaps in our filipino immigrant communities, particularly for undocumented and uninsured individuals, who were most vulnerable post-pandemic. We conducted 10 know your rights (kyrs) training sessions on immigration, labor, and health in church spaces. We referred over 50 community members to vital services, including idnyc, the institute of family health, and nyc care, for medical coverage, and organized a health screening event, providing essential services to 100 community members. We organized 6 legal clinics to support our community members with immigration and labor matters while also providing case management and non-clinical emotional support to survivors of labor trafficking, including their children. Our hope against hate (hah) grant initiative supports the community in response to rising incidents of anti-asian hate and violence. We organized a know your rights training on anti-asian hate and a conference, raising our collective voices against anti-asian violence, to develop protective strategies for the community. We connected survivors of anti-asian hate to health referrals and legal clinics and conducted four safety trainings with the nonviolent peaceforce, mobilizing 100 community members on situational awareness and intervention. These initiatives underscore our commitment to enhancing community well- being and safety.”

“Workers & immigrants' rights our workers & immigrants' rights program supports migrant domestic workers and survivors of trafficking in reclaiming their rights and dignity. We empower filipino migrant domestic workers in new york city by helping them recover stolen wages, combat discrimination, and obtain humanitarian visas, building their collective power to advocate for their rights in the domestic work industry. We conducted 10 know your rights training sessions for over 200 community members, covering essential rights related to immigration, labor, and health, regardless of immigration status. We organized five legal clinics for survivors of labor trafficking and undocumented migrant workers, providing critical case management and direct access to immigration and labor attorneys. Our advocacy efforts have focused on pushing for stronger protections for domestic workers and raising awareness about the challenges faced by vulnerable populations. Through outreach, we reached over 3,000 community members, increasing awareness of available resources. Our initiatives have significantly advanced protections and empowered the rights of migrant domestic workers and trafficking survivors in new york city.”

“Anti labor trafficking our anti-labor trafficking program, supported by the trafficking victims assistance program (tvap) and oak, aims to combat labor trafficking and modern slavery affecting filipino migrant workers. We provide comprehensive case management, connecting survivors to legal and social services that aid their recovery and reintegration while empowering them through community organizing and leadership development. This year, we helped eight survivors obtain humanitarian trafficking visas (t visas) after long waits. We assisted three survivors in reuniting with their families through collaboration with the international organization for migration (iom). To date, we have helped 80 survivors secure t visas, including 22 cases involving victims trafficked by diplomats, and facilitated the reunification of 38 survivors with 78 children and 32 spouses. Currently, the tvap program is managing around 15 ongoing cases. We are proud to share that three survivors had the courage to share their stories, raising community awareness about labor trafficking. Our anti-labor trafficking program has established a strong foundation for community organizing among trafficking survivors, encouraging their involvement in advocacy efforts and leadership roles that elevate their voices and experiences in the fight against labor trafficking. The impact of our anti-labor trafficking program continues to resonate within the community, as we strive to provide essential support and empower survivors in their journey toward healing and advocacy. Looking ahead, we aim to expand our reach and enhance our services to protect vulnerable workers and combat labor trafficking more effectively.”

“Membership & leadership development program damayan is dedicated to building our membership base and developing the leadership of migrantt workers, particularly, women domestic workers. In 2023, we recruited 175 new members and activated 45 former inactive members. We educated and mobilized them to access direct critical services and resources, specifically legal assistance at legal clinics, reclaim stolen wages, get humanitarian visas and reunify survivor families through our tvap. We engage them at kyr trainings & workforce development. We train many survivors as community leaders, outreach workers, & event organizing support. We hired a trafficking survivor as a full time case manager & in 2023, we elected a survivor as board chair. Other program services include organizational development activities. 2023 was the executive transition year for the organization and so the organization engaged in critical transition activities like search and hiring of the new executive director.”