The co-founder of an agency that bills employers rather than domestic workers for the cost of migration says such practices could transform the sector famous for abuse.
Scott Stiles of the newly launched Fair Employment Agency (FEA) said Hong Kong’s 320,000+ foreign domestic workers – most of whom come from poor backgrounds in Indonesia and the Philippines – are forced into crippling debt due to hefty fees charged to them by employment agencies.
In Hong Kong, agencies are allowed to charge workers 10 percent of their first month’s wage, but Stiles estimates the average fees are nearly 20 times higher.
On a minimum monthly salary of HKD4,110 a month, the women are then forced to take out loans, most of which come with 60 percent annual interest. Spiralling debt ensues.
Instead, FEA charges the employers HKD7,500 for the cost of the visa, flights and medical examination of their domestic helper.
“By charging only the employer, our clients will be able to work more freely as they will not have large debts and can start sending money home straightaway,” Stiles told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
“If we make it fair for everyone – the employers, the domestic helpers and society as a whole – the system can be changed for the better, without agencies taking advantage of domestic helpers,” he added.
Photo: KC Wong
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