The underground trade cashing in on China’s demand for foreign domestic helpers
Agent accused of making US$1.5 million in space of a year by bringing maids from Indonesia and Philippines to China to work illegally
A trial in eastern China has given a glimpse of the lucrative underground trade meeting the country’s demand for foreign domestic workers.
In a case recently heard by a Suzhou court in Jiangsu province, an agent earned more than 10 million yuan (US$1.5 million) in a year by importing maids from the Philippines and Indonesia, the Yangtse Evening Post reported on Sunday.
A Suzhou-based housekeeping company, owned by a woman who was identified only by the pseudonym of Li Lan, allegedly helped more than 200 Filipino and Indonesian women enter the mainland to work as domestic helpers between May 2015 and March last year, making over 10 million yuan from service charges, the report said.
Li, who was detained by police last year, was accused of illegally running immigrants over the border. It was unclear which court heard the case, and a verdict has yet to be delivered.
Except for expats living in Shanghai, who have been allowed to hire domestic helpers from overseas since July 2015, employing foreign maids remains illegal in mainland China.