Democratic Party Chairlady Emily Lau and Hong Kong legal representatives are in Manila this week to meet with Philippine officials and NGOs to discuss how to improve the situation for Hong Kong’s foreign domestic workers.
With more than 320,000 foreign helpers, Hong Kong has been facing criticism over inaction against the perceived exploitation of recruitment agencies, which often overcharge for placements, seeing several months of a helper’s wages go directly from the employer to the agency.
The Hong Kong government rarely imposes penalties on recruitment agencies found to be flouting the law, with the lack of legal aid making it more difficult for domestic workers to seek help.
On top of this, the last year alone has seen numerous cases of domestic workers being abused at the hands of their employers.
Last April, Lau attended a roundtable conference with multiple representatives from different countries, and now seeks to forge bilateral negotiations with the Philippines, one of the city’s main sources of domestic workers.
Lau hopes the meeting will help foster a better relationship between Hong Kong and the Philippines, improve the current employment system and better protect workers’ wellbeing.
Photo: 湯惠芸 via Wikimedia Commons
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