Diplomats call for end to illegal work orders for Hong Kong domestic helpers
Indonesian and Filipino consulates say government must stop employers forcing domestic helpers to work on the mainland
The Indonesian and Filipino consulates in Hong Kong have urged the government to get tough on local employers breaking the law by putting their domestic helpers to work on the mainland, after one such helper died in Shenzhen.
The consulates also warned they could put offenders on a watch list if they forced their helpers to work at an address which was not specified in their contracts.
Indonesian consul-general Tri Tharyat said he had detected on average two to three cases a month over the past year of helpers who were frequently taken to the mainland to work.
“We have to stop this practice now,” he said. “I don’t think we need to wait for someone else to die because of this.”
Vice-consul Alex Vallespin at the Philippine consulate also called for more “stringent measures”, urging authorities to “get to the bottom” of Lorain Asuncion’s case. The Filipino domestic helper fell to her death from a building in Shenzhen on July 24 after allegedly being sent by her Hong Kong employers to work at a relative’s house.