I refer to Kingsley Smith's letter ("Domestic helpers would benefit from changes to two laws", February 28). Let me reiterate the Hong Kong government's commitment to safeguard the rights of foreign domestic helpers and the reasons for maintaining the "live-in requirement" and "two-week rule". Hong Kong is one of the few places in the world which provides a level playing field for migrant workers with the same statutory labour rights as local workers. In seeking legal redress, they have full access to legal aid. The six-year jail term imposed last month on the former employer of an Indonesian domestic helper vividly demonstrates that the Hong Kong government is serious in protecting foreign helpers. In this respect, I note the editorial in The Jakarta Post on February 28 ("Hong Kong's justice"), which said, "Hong Kong has taken many legal measures to ensure the safety and protection of migrant workers, being much more progressive than others hosting migrant workers". This is a fair and encouraging recognition of our commitment in protecting foreign helpers. We will enhance our efforts in raising helpers' awareness of their rights and the channels for assistance. The Labour Department will step up the policing of employment agencies and has strengthened collaboration with the relevant consulates. Any helpers with grievances should approach the authorities promptly. The requirement that foreign helpers must reside in employers' residences is the cornerstone of Hong Kong's liberal regime for importing helpers. It is only due to the acute shortage of local live-in domestic workers that we let in foreign helpers in large numbers (there are 334,000 here). Apart from this overriding policy consideration, relaxing the "live-in requirement" would aggravate Hong Kong's housing problem and add pressure to the public transport system, let alone other issues like insurance cover. The "two-week rule" applies to all imported workers, not just foreign helpers, for maintaining effective immigration control and preventing job-hopping. However, the Immigration Department stands ready to exercise discretion to approve an application for change of employer on compassionate grounds or if there is evidence that the foreign helper has been abused or exploited. In fact, some 18,000 such cases have been approved in the past three years. We are grateful for these helpers' important contribution here. They provide much-needed domestic support for our working women and help look after many of our senior citizens. We will continue to do our best to safeguard their well-being. Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, secretary for labour and welfare
