SINGAPORE – Despite being hit by her employer and left with bruises, a distressed domestic worker did not dare alert the authorities and only confided in a fellow Filipino helper.
Though Catherine Gonzaga Suarez could not persuade the battered helper to seek formal help, she checked on her emotional state till the latter was sent home two weeks later.
Suarez encountered the case this year while volunteering with the Care Sisters, a peer support network that reaches out to migrant domestic workers to provide mental well-being support.
She is one of about 1,000 members, up from about 180 helpers in 2022. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) partners with the Alliance of Domestic Employees Outreach (ADEO) to manage the programme.
While the network has grown, years of collective outreach in Singapore have yet to overcome the mental health stigma – particularly fear of losing their jobs – that continues to deter many domestic workers from seeking formal help.
Suarez told The Straits Times that some helpers fear calling MOM, but readily open up to the volunteers.
“They don’t hesitate to call because we’re the same. Friend to friend,” said the 42-year-old.
The network’s expanded outreach comes amid a rise in Singapore’s migrant domestic worker population, which hit a six-year high of 316,900 in 2025, a 28 per cent increase from 247,400 in 2020.
Michael Lim, director of NTUC’s migrant workers segment, said various organisations have been more active in promoting mental health among migrant workers since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Michael Lim, director of NTUC’s migrant workers segment, said various organisations have been more active in promoting mental health among migrant workers since the Covid-19 pandemic.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
NTUC’s Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE) has engaged about 3,000 domestic workers annually in the last five years through its 24-hour helpline, events and activities.
“Given the amount of publicity that’s been put in, awareness shouldn’t be an issue. But workers are still not coming forward enough,” said Lim.
One possible reason is the stigma attached to mental health issues, especially fears that employers would fire them, said ADEO’s team lead Joyder Ng.
An Institute of Mental Health study published in February found that migrant workers and domestic helpers hesitate to seek formal mental health support as they fear losing their jobs.
ADEO’s team lead Joyder Ng in a training session for domestic workers joining the peer support programme on May 3.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
An MOM spokesperson told ST that the Care Sisters was started as the ministry recognised that many domestic workers “may prefer seeking support through informal networks”.
The motley crew of Filipino, Indonesian, Burmese and Indian domestic workers befriend helpers at gathering points such as Paya Lebar and Fort Canning about two Sundays a month.
Through casual questions such as “Are you happy with work?” and “How’s your family?”, they try to spot those who may be struggling.
“Even though they smile, I can see if they’re really happy or unhappy,” said Eni Wijayanti, an Indonesian helper who joined the Care Sisters in 2024.
The volunteers lend a listening ear and direct fellow helpers to further support, such as the CDE’s 24-hour helpline, or MOM’s WhatsApp channel, which has information on topics such as employment rights.
MOM and ADEO are also training the Care Sisters in psychological first aid, suicide prevention and mental well-being support, the ministry’s spokesperson told ST.
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