Domestic helpers who have been abused or ill-treated by their employers are also being cheated by Hong Kong's justice system.
Lawyers and advocates say the Labour Tribunal favours employers and needs a complete overhaul.
A Sunday Morning Post investigation found that helpers were often denied the chance to speak in court, were supplied with substandard translation services and were forced to rely on charity while they waited years to have their cases heard.
'Everything is stacked against them,' said human rights lawyer Michael Vidler, who has been advising foreign domestic helpers on a pro bono basis for the past 10 years.
'They are expected to be able to pursue cases in a country whose legal system they aren't familiar with, they have no access to publically funded legal advice, and they are expected to conduct their own cross-examination of employers, some of whom have abused them physically or mentally,' he said.
While they wait for legal proceedings to end, helpers are not allowed to work in Hong Kong. This discouraged helpers from reporting crimes committed against them by their employers, said Eni Lestari, a domestic worker and spokeswoman for the Asian Migrants Co-ordinating Body.
Increasingly, employers are lodging false allegations of theft against their helpers to pre-empt complaints against them or to avoid having to pay their salaries.