Rights group says 6.5pc of foreign domestic helpers sexually harassed

Some 6.5 per cent of foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong say they have been sexually harassed, the equality watchdog has found.

Some of them were asked to watch adult films with their employers, while others said they had experienced rape or sexual assault.

This emerged from the Equal Opportunities Commission's survey of 981 helpers: 525 from the Philippines and 456 from Indonesia. It was conducted from March to April.

"There are currently about 320,000 foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong … Their rights and well-being should be protected," the commission's policy and research committee convenor Dr John Tse Wing-ling said.

In the survey, 6.5 per cent claimed they were sexually harassed in the past year. Of these, 14 per cent said they been stared or leered at in a sexual manner; 12 per cent were asked questions about their sex life; and 10 per cent had been exposed to their employers' private parts.

"Some employers like to scratch their private parts in front of the helpers and some even ask the helpers to buy adult movies for them," Tse said.