The promise of high wages draws Indonesian migrant workers to Singapore. However, exploitative practices by agents such as deducting monthly salaries and charging illegal fees make life difficult for the migrant workers and their families back home.
Category: Voices
Posted inComic, Voices
Learning in Lockdown
Our son lost in-person social and emotional support from his teachers when the pandemic forced a shift towards remote learning. We worked to mitigate its effects—but not all families in the Philippines can afford to do the same for children with disabilities.
Posted inComic, Voices
Indonesia, 1965: A Conversation With My Parents
My parents lived through Soeharto’s New Order regime. We don’t see eye-to-eye politically, but would I be able to sit with them, listen to their stories, and appreciate their memories?
Posted inComic, Voices
The Long Road Home
A domestic worker in Singapore returns to Indonesia during the pandemic. She encounters differential treatment and a costly road home.
Posted inComic, Voices
Ripple Effect
My mother became a refugee in her own country during the Indonesian War of Independence. The experience reverberated through the rest of her life.
Posted inComic, Voices
I Was Never Alone
When I left my Indonesian hometown for the big city, I asked myself: what am I? The answer lay beyond the gender binary.
Posted inComic, Voices
Growing Pains
Queer. Malay. Muslim. Growing up in Malaysia, I learned the hard way that this didn’t have to be a contradiction.
Posted inComic, Voices
Waiting, Watching, Caring
As hospitals in Indonesia struggle to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, a family faces their own challenges seeking healthcare.
Posted inComic, Voices
Behind the Dream: A Family Broken by a Jade Mining Disaster
On 2 July 2020, over 170 people were killed in a landslide in the jade mines of Hpakant, Myanmar. This story of fictional characters surrounded by real events portrays the risks miners take and the suffering endured by their families.
Posted inComic, Voices
You’re Worthy
“Your hair is yours. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.” The pressure to conform to mainstream “ideals” of beauty and presentation can be restrictive, stifling, oppressive. Mei Lian Hoe reflects on their experience with their hair and Malaysian beauty standards.