Domestic Helpers at Risk

The recent court case, whereby a Hong Kong couple were jailed for subjecting their domestic helper to horrific abuse, is extreme, but it certainly brings home the message that even in a free, fair and safe society people still experience abuse.

However, because Christian Action runs an education programme for around 300 domestic helpers every week, we know that most employers and employment agents are not abusive. In fact, many employers encourage domestic helpers to improve their skills, and some even pay course fees! But employing domestic helpers has its pitfalls, for both employers and employees.

There are 400 000 foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong, which makes it a big money business. Many come to Hong Kong believing that they will leave poverty behind forever. Most do not have the literacy level or language to identify the pitfalls and risks, which are carefully hidden from them. To cut costs, agencies neglect to train their candidates, and domestic helpers find themselves ill equipped for their jobs, especially those who come from rural areas, and don’t have the language skills or understanding of Chinese culture to perform their duties as expected. Employers, not understanding this, place the blame for bad work on the domestic helper.

There are around 200 licensed employment agencies in Hong Kong. We speculate that there may be as many as 700 additional unlicensed employment agencies. Under these contracts, domestic helpers working for abusive employers don’t have a way to address their problems, and are often forced to return home empty handed.

This situation can become very serious because the lack of regulations exposes foreign domestic helpers to the risk of human trafficking. If we as a society continue to ignore these issues, Hong Kong's reputation as a world class city will become tainted by being included in the Trafficking in Persons list.

The Bible says: Do not cheat a poor and needy hired servant, whether he is a fellow Israelite, or a foreigner living in one of your towns. Each day before sunset pay him for that day’s work: he needs the money and has counted on getting it. If you do not pay him he will cry out against you to the Lord and you will be guilty of sin. (Deut. 24:14-15) God hates exploitation, abuse, rape and the violence that some of these women experience.

As a Christian NGO we have the responsibility to co-operate with relevant bodies who are able to remedy the trafficking and abuse situation and provide some redress. By God’s grace we will continue to serve vulnerable domestic helpers, while trying to find a solution for the root of the problem.