FILIPINO churches in Hong Kong have been asked to compile a report on the working and living conditions of maids.
The head of the Glorious Praise Christian Centre, Pastor Charles McKnelly, last week met representatives of the Philippines Government who expressed concern at reports of increasing violence against domestic helpers and problems with immigration status.
Pastor McKnelly said there were about 20 Filipino churches in Hong Kong, all of whom would be asked to contribute to the report, along with unions and other organisations who work with domestic helpers.
'They want us to put a document together stating explicitly what the problems of domestic helpers are here in Hong Kong,' he said.
Pastor McKnelly said the main problems included the high fees charged by employment agencies in the Philippines which forced domestic workers to take out large loans to repay them.
'There is a very serious problem in overcharging,' he said. 'Some of these agencies charge up to 35,000 to 40,000 pesos [HK$10,675 to HK$12,200].' He said this often resulted in maids being forced to surrender their passports as security.
'This leads to another problem which is that if the employer isn't satisfied, they lose their job and then they get into trouble with the two-week rule,' Pastor McKnelly said.
