July 22, 2013
TVB recently reported that Immigration raided the village of Nim Shue Wan in Discovery Bay, checking the documents of the domestic workers living there and arresting six Filipina domestic workers. (1)
We strongly believe that banning live-out helps no one in Hong Kong at all. Migrant domestic worker organizations such as Mission for Migrant Workers have given strong evidence that the live-in rule contributes to regular, systematic abuses faced by workers each year.
Furthermore, arresting workers who do live out is deeply unjust and cruel. The employers who allow them to live out are giving them the chance to live like adults with their own private space and time, as well as preserving private family time for the employer, and the government should enable this to be a legal option as much as possible instead of threatening and punishing them.
It is widely known that employers choose migrant domestic workers because they can do full-time work for a fixed monthly wage, not because they are live-in.
The migrant domestic workers are an important and valuable part of our society and it is a deep shame to Hong Kong as an international city at this time to continue making it a crime to let workers live apart from their employers.
Therefore we strongly request to the Hong Kong government:
1) In order to ensure that the rights of the workers arrested are protected we wish to be informed whether anyone is assisting them or providing them legal advice. If no one is assisting them, they should be allowed to contact us or any of the organisations that provide assistance to domestic workers.
Those whose only violation is living outside the home of their employers should be allowed to continue working and their employers must be required to provide them suitable accommodation as stipulated in their employment contract.
2) The policy of banning live out must be reversed, and the option of live-out with employer paying for housing must be allowed right away. This will be a start in enhancing the domestic workers’ privacy, their self-education, their intermingling in society, and their rest and satisfaction with work and life in Hong Kong. This would be a small but necessary start in implementing improved women worker safety, gender equality and dignified work for migrant women workers in Hong Kong.
3) Take concrete measures to ensure that live-in migrant workers are given proper accommodation – beginning with a clearer definition of ‘proper’ accommodation and means of enforcement.
The Undersigned.
Federation of Asian Domestic Worker Unions 香港亞洲家務工工會聯會
Association for the Advancement of Feminism 新婦女協進會
Meilin Wu, Hong Kong Women Workers’ Association 香港婦女勞工協會
Yuen Che Hung, No Hurry Story Workshop雄仔叔叔, No Hurry Story工作坊
Left 21 左翼21
Danilo Reyes, Employer
Open Door 家·傭同行
Half The Sky Public Education. 半邊天公益
Rev. Phyllis Wong, Kowloon Union Church 佑寧堂
Justice and Peace Commission of the HK Catholic Diocese 香港天主教正義和平委員會
autonomous 8a 自治八樓
Father Mark Rogers, St. John's Cathedral
Father Franco Mella, PIME
Rev. Danilo A. Borlado and Mary Lou S. Borlado, New Beginnings Christian Fellowship, Hong Kong
Elijah Fung, St. John's HIV Education Centre
Pastor Edgar Robles, Jesus is Lord- Hong Kong
Holly Allan, Helpers for Domestic Helpers, St. John’s Cathedral
Crystal Ching Chow, Youth Ambassador 2012-2013, Asia Pacific Youth Network
Jason Y. Ng, Author and columnist
Carol Chow Pui Ha, CUHK
Danilo Reyes, Employer
Ramon Bultron, Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants
Gifliyani Krisna Nayoan – World Student Christian Federation AP
Sunita Suna – World Student Christian Federation AP
Sister Felicitas Nisperos
Lisa Moore, The Women's Foundation
Adrielle Panares, Chairperson, Coalition of Service Providers for Ethnic Minorities;
Director of Migrant Programme, International Social Service Hong Kong Branch
Edwina Antonio, Bethune House Migrant Worker Refuge
Cynthia CA Tellez, Mission for Migrant Workers Limited
Asian Migrant Coordinating Body
(1) http://news.tvb.com/local/51e51e556db28c370e000005/
