The OFWs’ silent struggles

The overseas Filipino worker (OFW) has long been hailed as a modern-day hero — sacrificing comfort and proximity to family in pursuit of better opportunities abroad.

However, behind the narrative of strength and perseverance lies an unsettling reality: the silent battles many OFWs fight against mental health issues, often without sufficient support or understanding from either their host countries or their own government.

Recent reports have cast a somber light on this growing crisis, particularly in Hong Kong, where thousands of Filipino domestic workers labor to support families back home.

According to data from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), there were approximately 196,364 Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong in 2023. These workers, primarily women, face long hours, social isolation, cultural alienation, and often unrealistic financial expectations from their families.

From 2023 to 2025 alone, at least 12 OFWs in Hong Kong tragically ended their lives due to financial distress and emotional struggles. This has ignited urgent calls for stronger mental health support systems, both within Hong Kong’s labor structure and in Philippine government agencies.

The life of an OFW, especially domestic workers, is more than just labor for pay; it is often a sacrifice of identity, self-worth, and emotional well-being. They leave their own children behind to care for the children of others.

They endure loneliness in cramped living spaces at the hands of demanding employers. The pressure to send money home can become unbearable, especially when earnings are stretched thin by loan payments, placement fees, and unexpected emergencies. This constant cycle of giving, while emotionally draining, is rarely met with proper emotional support.

For many, these hardships become invisible wounds that accumulate over time. The stigma surrounding mental health, especially among Filipinos, often discourages open conversations about anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts.

Isolation exacerbates the problem: OFWs often live in their employer’s household with limited social connections and little personal space for rest or relief. Even on their days off, financial constraints and exhaustion limit opportunities for emotional recuperation.

The recent suicides underscore the urgent need for meaningful reforms. Mental health care must not be seen as optional or secondary, but as a vital component of an OFW’s welfare.

The Philippine government, through the DMW, should ramp up pre-departure counseling programs that focus not only on contract awareness and labor rights but also on preparing workers for the psychological and emotional realities of life abroad.

Moreover, both the Philippine and Hong Kong governments should work to establish more accessible mental health hotlines, peer support groups, and counseling services specifically designed for migrant workers. Employers and recruitment agencies, too, must be held accountable for ensuring humane and ethical treatment of workers, including giving them time and space to maintain their well-being.

Equally important is addressing the root of the financial pressures that are driving many OFWs to despair. Systemic solutions — such as the regulation of placement fees, fairer remittance costs, and family financial literacy programs back home — can ease the burden and prevent the downward spiral many workers experience.

Ultimately, OFWs deserve more than just applause for their sacrifices. They deserve protection, compassion and concrete action. Mental health struggles are real and deadly, and addressing them must go beyond paying mere lip service. The loss of even one life abroad due to despair is a tragedy not only for a family but for a nation that has long leaned on its migrant workers as an economic lifeline.

As the world applauds the resilience of Filipino workers, it is time that we offer them the support and care they urgently need — both at home and abroad.