JWB 10 Year Milestones at a Glance

June 18, 2024
Category: Communications | Information

Founded in 2013, JWB has continuously made new strides in empowering migrant domestic workers in pursuit of justice even after they return home. Here is our 10-Year milestones at a glance.

2013
  • Founded by our Executive Director, Douglas MacLean, after work at the UN showed access to compensation was a key need for vulnerable migrant workers in Southeast Asia.
2014
  • Established first office in Singapore.
  • Published ‘A Practitioner’s Manual for Migrant Workers: Pursuing Civil Claims in Singapore and Abroad’ in partnership with the National University of Singapore Law Faculty’s Pro Bono Group.
2015
  • Established second office in Hong Kong with local charitable status.
  • First cross-border cases in Singapore ended in settlements for two abused domestic workers returned to the Philippines.
2016
  • Established Indonesia office near Jakarta.
  • Cross-border casework expands for workers returning from Hong Kong and Singapore to Indonesia and the Philippines.
2017
  • Launched training workshops for caseworkers and paralegals in Hong Kong and Indonesia. Trainings aimed to equip partners to handle cross-border cases.
  • Signed agreement with the Indonesia Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support Indonesian domestic workers overseas and returned home.
2018
  • Litigation milestone: Secured first video link trial at the Hong Kong Labour Tribunal. Workers now have a greater chance to return home without giving up their case.
  • Held first cross-border litigation training in Manila, co-hosted by the United Nations International Labour Organisation (ILO)
2019
  • First ‘reverse cross-border’ mass claim by 16 Indonesian domestic workers in Hong Kong against illegal recruitment fees charged by their agency back home in Jakarta.
  • Network milestone: 50 frontline NGO and law firm partners to engage with JWB in programmatic work to date.
  • Training milestone: 1,200 caseworkers and lawyers trained to date.
2020
  • Litigation milestone: JWB’s first successful High Court appeal on behalf of a domestic worker in Hong Kong.
  • Online training programmes launched for frontline workers in Indonesia and Singapore during the pandemic.
  • First national public discussion with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NGO partners on women migrant workers’ rights in Indonesia.
2021
  • Training milestone: Launched first ever year-long mentorship programmes for frontline caseworkers in Indonesia and union leaders in Hong Kong, in partnership with the ILO.
  • Litigation milestone: First successful claim against a bankrupt employer in Singapore, recovering compensation for the worker.
  • Litigation milestone: First successful video link trial in Singapore for a domestic worker.
2022
  • Training milestone: Completed our first full-fledged mentorship programme for Indonesian caseworkers across the country.
  • Litigation milestone: Orchestrated Hong Kong’s first overseas death inquest for a domestic worker. Brought closure to a grieving family and piloted best practices for future cases.