ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the work done by social workers in protecting the rights and welfare of land-based overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), that now forms part of everyday language amongst Filipinos, given the extent to which labour migration permeates Philippine life and culture. It begins with an outline of a critical conception of social work, the one that informs the analysis of the challenges and practice presented. The chapter focuses on Filipino labour migration, with an account of the background of and challenges faced by OFWs. It also focuses on account of some of the work being done in promoting the rights of OFWs and the social workers who have played a key role in these initiatives. The chapter ends with a note on how such work can be seen as representing a form of transnational social work practice and a discussion of the implications of such conceptualisation for social work practice, education and research.
