Muslim domestic helper sues Hong Kong family for HK$255,000 after allegedly firing her for praying and wearing religious garment
- Dwi-Lestari was sacked two weeks after she started working for retiree Leung Choi and her children, who complained about her religious practices, writ claims
- Helper allegedly offered to pray outside the home and change her attire, but son fired her anyway
A Muslim domestic helper has filed a HK$255,000 (US$32,580) discrimination lawsuit against a Hong Kong family for allegedly sacking her after requiring her to stop wearing a religious garment and praying during work.
The District Court writ, seen by the Post on Thursday, said the family of three had breached the Race Discrimination Ordinance by asking Dwi-Lestari to abandon her religious practices as a condition for keeping her job.
The writ said her contract was terminated on March 16, 2020, just two weeks after she began working for retiree Leung Choi, her son Ho Wai-sun and daughter Ho Wai-ngor in their flat at the Wah Fu public housing estate in Southern district.
Dwi-Lestari’s lawyers said she was not told whether Leung, now 87, or her children had any objections to her practising her religion before the contract was signed.
But shortly after she started working, the daughter reportedly complained about the helper wearing a jilbab, a full-length garment covering her body, when she went out.
The daughter was said to have warned the helper over her choice of clothing and demanded she stop wearing the garment when accompanying the family in public. The helper relented and wore only a headscarf and a cap when she needed to go outside, the writ claimed.
Subsequently, the children allegedly reprimanded her for performing daily prayers in the flat but out of the family’s view.