A Domestic Helper Is Not A Slave

At the age of 18, I went off to boarding school in England on a scholarship from Kentucky Fried Chicken. I was safe and well cared for, but I missed my family and my friends in Malaysia terribly. I remember how homesick and lonely I felt.  Many domestic helpers who have left home to work in Hong Kong experience the same feelings of loneliness and homesickness. But for some, terrible living circumstances make life unbearably painful.

All Domestic Helpers in Hong Kong are legally required to live with their employer. Many of those Helpers who come to us have had their cell phones confiscated, and cannot communicate with the outside world. Others are denied statutory holidays and a rest day, and are often forced to work long hours without a break.  There are those who have to sleep on a mattress in a communal area, such as the kitchen floor. The desperate ones will endure this mistreatment for the sake of keeping their jobs. 

Domestic Helpers in Hong Kong do not expect to have an easy life, but what ultimately breaks a Helper’s spirit is when they are not compensated according to the terms of their contract, and are then disregarded or ‘disposed of’ by their employer. 

True, employers do require flexibility regarding the terms of employment of Domestic Helpers, this has too often resulted in exploitation or abuse. A Domestic Helper is not a slave. She is doing an honest day’s work in order to provide for her family. She waits for her salary just as I do. She waits for those moments when she can talk to her family, just as I do. And she waits for the end of the day when she can rest and forget her daily work worries, just as you and I do.  Aren’t these the simple things that make a working life bearable?  Without these fundamental rights, would you be able to continue with your own daily labour?

There are many good employers in  Hong Kong, but whether or not we cause these domestic helpers pain, we contribute to it by inaction and apathy. 

Only when we begin to view Domestic Helpers as equals; as persons earning wages, just like we do, and normal human beings with feelings and fears just like ours, will we be able to work towards meaningful solutions for abused Domestic Helpers. 

With International Women’s Day taking place on March 8^th, let’s redouble our efforts to gain recognition for Domestic Helpers as our equals in society.