New 24-hour hotline for Hong Kong’s domestic foreign workers ‘a small step in right direction’
- Concern group welcomes move by Labour Department, while lawmaker Fernando Cheung urges government to do more
- Translation service in seven languages will also be provided
A new 24-hour hotline providing support services for more than 380,000 foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong was launched on Wednesday.
In a move welcomed by a concern group, a translation service will also be available in seven languages between 8am and 10pm every day, except public holidays, according to the Labour Department.
The department said the hotline will give advice to domestic workers about their employment rights and obligations, and also refer requests for help, advise workers which law enforcement agency to contact in the event of exploitation or physical abuse.
Alongside English, Cantonese and Mandarin, seven other languages - Tagalog, Bahasa Indonesia, Thai, Nepali, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu - will be available, while the department said workers could also send enquiries via email.
Workers whose personal safety is at risk should still call 999 for immediate police assistance, the department added.
