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Danny Nguyen
Jennifer Geraci
Writing 39C
10 October 2016
Higher Authority and the Approval for Prostitution and Migrant Labor
With an insurmountable amount of debt, many leaders of the Third World are forced to
place a limit on the amount of money that goes towards their countrys health care and education.
As a means to desperately pay off this debt, governments are encouraging their women to
become migrant workers for rich states namely to tax their remittances. To validate the
morality of issues similar to this, we must explore the reason why higher authority has been
allowing for the expansion of nannies, maids and sex workers in the new economy. Migrant
laborers have successfully produced a considerable market from their remittances, which totaled
$70 billion globally (Sassen 270) in 1998. It also seems that some countries Thailand
especially plays a crucial role as a governments derived a sex trade industry which economic
support. While countries continue to fall into a steeper economic plummet, money generated
by nannies, maids and sex workers act as a crucial fortune that explains why higher
authority continues to allow for migrant labor and prostitution.
Governments have been allowing people from their country to work abroad, expecting
them to send home remittances in which they can then tax. This is very true for poor countries
and less so for those in economic prosperity. As a result, indebted countries are sending migrant
laborers while wealthier countries are not. Indonesia is projected to be one of the top three
countries experiencing fast economic growth. After years of allowing for their people to take

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upon the job as a migrant worker, the Indonesian
government plans to stop sending maids and
migrant workers overseas by 2017 (Wardah). A
plausible explanation for the motive of decreasing
migrant labor in Indonesia could be explained by
a graph released by the International Monetary
Fund (Figure 1) which depicts the nominal GDP
growth projection of several countries. Indonesia

Figure 1: Nominal GDP growth by several countries.

The top three are denoted by a dashed red outline.
Graph by the International Monetary Fund.

places third of countries projected to have the top GDP growth by 2017. Due to Indonesias
growing economy, the Indonesian government is able to create more jobs for Indonesians
(Wardah) and withdraw from the migrant working business. There exists a correlation between
rich countries and poor countries when it comes to migrant working. Rich countries have the
luxury of creating jobs for their people so that they will not have to work as migrant laborers in
other countries. On the other hand, greatly indebted countries are encouraging their people to
work abroad as nannies and maids
To further prove the correlation mentioned in the last paragraph, we must further
investigate countries who are greatly indebted or have a struggling economy as the
governments of these countries rely on domestic workers to send home taxable remittances.
Saskia Sassens essay, Global Cities and Survival Circuits mentions such a country, Argentina,
which became the most dramatic example when it defaulted on $140 billion in debt in
December 2011 (Sassen 266). Figure 2 illustrates Argentinas growing debt to GDP over the
past years, which portrays Argentina as a country with expanding debt. To pay off such a large
sum, Argentina relies on their domestic workers to send home taxable remittances. According to

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the International Labour Organization (ILO), Argentina claims to have approximately 1.2
million domestic workers in the country (ILO). Furthermore, the last decade has witnessed a
momentous paradigm shift with regard to
immigration policy in Argentina, which
enacted a new Migration Law in 2004.
The law significantly advanced the
promotion of migrant workers (ILO).
Statements from the ILO confirms that

Figure 2: Argentina Government Debt to GDP. The

graph depicts Argentinas debt increasing since 2012.
Graph by tradingeconomics.com.

Argentina is seeking to expand the countrys

pool of domestic workers. These statements illustrate that Argentinas government promotes
more nannies and maids in the work place. Argentina, a greatly indebted country with a
struggling economy, is not stopping the growth of migrant labor, but instead, promotes it so that
domestic workers send remittances which the Argentinian government can then tax these taxes
are essentially allocated towards the countrys large economic concerns.

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Works Cited
Argentina Government Debt to GDP. Digital image. Trading Economics, n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2016.
ILO. "New Law Leads to New Life for Migrant Domestic Workers." Argentina. N.p., 16 Dec.
2014. Web. 09 Oct. 2016.
Nominal GDP Growth Projection by IMF. Digital image. Economy Outlook. N.p., n.d. Web. 8
Oct. 2016.
Sassen, Saskia. "Global Cities and Survival Circuits." Ed. Arlie Russell Hochschild. Global
Woman. Ed. Barbara Ehrenreich. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. Print.
Wardah, Fatiyah. "Indonesia to Stop Sending Informal Migrant Workers Abroad." VOA. N.p.,
25 Feb. 2015. Web. 09 Oct. 2016.