Domestic workers in Hong Kong need protection from rogue agencies

HELP for Domestic Workers has assisted foreign domestic workers for nearly 30 years to obtain redress for mistreatment by agencies or employers. As you say, only some employers mistreat employees, but everyone who is mistreated is a real person who experiences real trauma and distress.

Exploitation by employment agencies and inadequate accommodation are two common problems domestic workers raise to HELP. These problems are exacerbated by the “two- week rule”, restricting domestic workers’ ability to pursue their rights when they are violated.

We are currently dealing with exploitative agencies, including one targeting a group of domestic workers who have been charged extortionate fees by the only agency accredited to recruit them from their country. Each month for the first eight months of their two-year contract, over 70 per cent of their wages are deducted and paid by their employers to the agency, or to a lending company used as a conduit to collect fees, disguised as personal loans.

Very few rogue agencies are penalised. Under the statute of limitation, prosecution must occur within six months of the offence. Even when penalised, the fine imposed is often negligible as a deterrent.

The maximum fine for predatory agencies must be increased and the statute of limitations extended to one year. Hong Kong needs to take the lead on regulations that are founded in human rights, acknowledging the shortcomings we have in child and elder care solutions.