Indonesia, HK move to tackle abuses of domestic workers at agencies

Indonesian and Hong Kong government officials have moved to address the imprisonment and exploitation of Hong Kong-bound Indonesian domestic workers at recruitment agencies.

The moves come after a Sunday Morning Post report last month highlighted the problem.

In Hong Kong last week to discuss the issue, Laode Ida, deputy speaker of Indonesia's House of Regional Representatives, said: 'We were aware of the article on Indonesian domestic workers, and we are going to change policies to make a better situation for the placement and protection of Indonesian domestic workers.'

The report described Hong Kong-bound Indonesian domestic workers held in prison-like conditions at recruitment agencies in Indonesia - often locked away from the outside world for months or even years - as they are trained and taught Cantonese in preparation for jobs in the city.

'To some extent, this can be called slavery,' Laode said. 'This is a very controversial issue. As a Muslim country, we are not allowed to let our people suffer under slavery, but on the other hand, poverty is still trapping Indonesian people.'

Laode said the export of labour was a major source of income for Indonesia, a nation struggling with poverty and unemployment. Indonesian domestic workers in Hong Kong have sent more than HK$26 billion back to East Java alone and represent a major part of the Indonesian economy.