Indonesian domestic helpers’ Hong Kong success stories – how they save and take courses to open businesses back home
The plight of abused migrant workers makes for grim headlines, but for some Indonesians, the years spent working away from home and family can pay off when they return and start their own businesses
Life can be grim for a migrant worker in Hong Kong, as graphically illustrated by former Indonesian domestic helper Erwiana Sulistyaningsih. Over eight months, she was beaten, forced to sleep on the floor and denied days off by her employer, Law Wan-tung, who was jailed in 2015 for six years on charges that including assault and criminal intimidation.
Hong Kong woman who abused Indonesian maid Erwiana says she can’t understand or afford HK$490,000 legal bill
The plight of abused domestic workers grabs headlines but many of Hong Kong’s 300,000-plus find their time in the city rewarding, living with employers who treat them as family members, and being able to save enough to return home to set up a small business.
Keep appealing and you could be in jail longer, Hong Kong judge tells Erwiana’s convicted ex-boss
Nuraini, from the East Java regency of Ponorogo, was only 18 when she first heard about overseas opportunities – a neighbour had moved to Hong Kong to become a domestic helper.
“At that time, I had graduated from my vocational high school and found some work in my hometown,” the 32-year-old says. She soon found a job in Hong Kong that paid double the wage she could have earned at home.
The minimum wage for a domestic worker in Hong Kong – now HK$4,310 (US$551) – was incentive enough to stay on in the city. Employers also provide a monthly food allowance of at least HK$1,037.
By contrast, most domestic workers in Indonesia earn only between US$157 and US$224 a month.