Language and cultural barriers leave Hong Kong's Indonesian maids 'more vulnerable to abuse'
Language and cultural barriers and an undeveloped support network have allowed abuse by cruel employers to go unchecked
Language barriers and cultural differences may partly explain why Indonesian domestic helpers have been caught up in three of the city's most horrific abuse cases over the past 13 years, a leading human rights figure has said.
Director of Amnesty International Hong Kong, Mabel Au Mei-po, said because of language difficulties, Indonesian maids - most of whom cannot speak English before arriving in the city - had limited access to the information that could have saved them from abuse.
"Let's say they need to look for the police phone number online; they would have difficulties because all of it would be available only in Cantonese and English," she said.
Au spoke in the wake of Tuesday's verdict on Indonesian domestic helper Erwiana Sulistyaningsih's former abusive employer. Law Wan-tung was convicted of assaulting her and another Indonesian maid, Tutik Lestari Ningsih.
But prior to Erwiana's ordeal, at least two harrowing cases of assault involving Indonesian domestic helpers shocked the city.