Letters | Why Hong Kong’s treatment of foreign domestic workers is unjustifiable
- The onus is on society to justify why helpers must live with their bosses and earn below the minimum wage while no other foreign workers are subject to this
The argument against the claim that the current discriminatory labour laws applying to domestic helpers are unfair seems to be that since there are still lots of people from Southeast Asian countries voluntarily applying for jobs as domestic helpers, the laws must be fair.
The proponents of the discriminatory laws seem to have the mistaken idea that Hobson’s choice is a free choice. How can a choice be free when it is between feeding their family and being discriminated against?
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From Erwiana Sulistyaningsih to Baby Jane Allas, abuse of foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong prompts calls for better protection
The claim that such rules help Hong Kong’s economy is myopic. As history repeatedly shows, inequality is poisonous. It inculcates a hierarchical world view in society where people are obsessed with perceived social and racial status lest they are mistaken for a lower class. True liberty and a sense of community is impossible when people habitually look down on those below their station and show servility to those above.