Are domestic helpers treated fairly in Hong Kong?
Domestic helpers are treated fairly in Hong Kong most of the time. The Government and different organisations are defending their rights.
To begin with, the laws in Hong Kong are designed to protect the rights of domestic helpers, such as the Labour Department’s Employment Ordinance. It requires employers to provide a suitable living environment for domestic helpers to respect their privacy. Also, the Law ensures that the helpers won’t receive any kind of abuse from their employers. If they are harmed by the employers, they can complain about it to the free consultation services provided by the government or just call the cops. The abusive employers will then face the consequences of their actions and receive proper punishments. Take the example of Erwiana, an Indonesian helper, who was beaten by her employers time and time again. Her employers even made her sleep in the toilet, and basically acted like a torturer to her all the time, which clearly broke every law for domestic helpers. The employer is now currently facing justice and judgement in the court and imprisoned for her crimes. As we see, the law of Hong Kong tries its best to protect domestic helpers’ rights and treats them fairly, but a minority of employers are abusive scums, which cannot be helped.
The second reason is that the Freedom of Contract is active. This allows domestic helpers to terminate their contract with their employers immediately once they suffer abuses from the employers. They can also choose to work with the same employers or others once their contracts are over. They cannot be forced into working with the same employers if they don’t want to.
The third reason is that there are organisations in Hong Kong that fight for the rights of domestic helpers. The HK Helpers’ Campaign not only tries to scrap the Two-Week Rule, but also tries to let others know the pain and suffering of the domestic helpers by making documentaries. It tries to make the lives of domestic helpers easier.
Therefore, I agree that domestic helpers are treated fairly in Hong Kong as the Government has enacted laws and contracts to ensure their safety and privacy, and different organisations have been trying to fight for and extend their rights.