The Mission For Migrant Workers (MFMW), an NGO, has urged the Hong Kong government to take action to ensure that foreign domestic helpers have suitable accommodation, including their own room and ready access to a toilet.
In a new report that is based on a survey of more than 3,000 domestic workers, the group says one in 10 in Hong Kong are not provided with bedding, as stipulated in the standard working contract.
Norman Uy Carnay, the lead researcher on the report, said some 43% of those surveyed do not have their own room, while one in 50 sleep in areas such as a toilet, storage room, stock room or warehouse, basement, balcony or roof.
One domestic worker said she slept in a rooftop room that was only 1.2 meters high, while another’s bed was located in a kitchen cupboard above the microwave oven and fridge, he said.
Of those with their own rooms, 33% said their rooms are also used by their employer for storage, hanging clothes, for ironing and washing, as a study or office, or as a room for pets. A third of employers enter the domestic workers’ “own room” without their consent.
Around 14% of participants did not have ready access to a toilet.
Carnay said many domestic workers have no choice but to accept poor accommodation as they don’t want to lose their jobs. They know the answer to their requests for better accommodation will be that “there is no space in the house,” he said.
The government should take measures to define “suitable accommodation” in the standard employment contract, MFMW recommends. It should also set up regulatory and monitoring mechanisms, the NGO adds.
The Labour Department had not replied to media inquiries about the report at time of publishing.
Dedo din po grammar mo ateng, kaya bawas-bawasan pamimintas ng kapwa…
Tama ka friend, tumotolong nga sya sa atin,napona pa yang English haha
Yabang mo naman gurl Hindi porque magaling ka mag English you look down on her eh kng masakit sa mata mo NA poor Ang English nya Di huwag mong basahin ganoon LNG naman yon at least naman nasabi nya Ang NASA kalooban nya at Hindi naman Bobo ka tulad mo yong nakakabasa Dahil par SA among parehas nyang ofw nai intindihin namin ang gusto Nyang ipahiwatig huwag mo nang pansinin Ang poor nyang English. Cahill guano on din naman sa inane mga amp di rin sila magaling magengl. Nagmamarunong ka Wala ka naman din binatbat
Yan ang mga taong.tanga at gunggong utak biya ika nga ngmamagaling na di nman mga mgaling imbes mkisimpatya ka sa kalagayan ng kapwa mo eh nlait mo pa asan utak mo nsa talampakan mo cguro…nkakahiya ka no
Guys topic at hand please, wag na ntin pagawayan yung English. Not everyone who reads this article understands tagalog hence ate does her best to explain her situation in english. �
I’m quite sure that English isn’t your first language either. Asia Times isn’t a Philippine based company so obviously po English yung main language nila. And by the way, I think Ms De Belen has stated her comment in English in the best way she can. English is NOT the mother language of Filipinos. In my case pinay po ako pero lumaki ako sa ibang bansa so I am more comfortable with communicating in English, but that does not mean that I go full on grammar nazi on people who do not speak proper English. If you understand what the person is saying despite the grammatical and spelling errors just leave it at that.
P.S. Your own comment has grammatical and spelling errors. �
Wew…maling english na ang napag usapan..ang problema nya angbyutukan nyo…wlang maitulong tumahimik..kusog kayo manaway bati raba ug nawng.
Grave ka. Ikaw na matalino dai
So, truth is, most hk apartments do not have space for a helper to have their own room, completely to themselves. Especially with each new tinier apartment that is built.
So rather than the government enforcing housing requirements that cannot be met, why not focus on changing the rules, to allow domestic helpers to live off-site?
And ladies, please stop bickering about grammar – it has nothing to do with the problem, and helps no-one. X
Miss yalas kala mo naman napakaperfecto mong tao please analyze your grammar first before you react like a genius one
A big check po.✔�, qng mkpnghusga po cla wagas, no bodies perfect po… Nkkdisappoint po cla…. ���
anu? Air condition ba hahahaha wag n pki alamanan ung English ng iba kung tayo mismong nagpupuna di rin Tama .
"your English is in poor conditoin" daw…nyahaha…tawa na lng aq…kung mangoreksyon ka make sure perfect grammar and spelling mo..pls lng…haysst
sis commom sense n lng bkit ako d marunong sa english pero naintindihan ko respect n lng po kung d mo naintindihan ikaw n bahala umintindi wag ka lng manlait ng kapwa God bless us!
Veronica Pronuevo Perez ay sis ang hirap naman yata nyang cnabi mo na hindi ka marunong mag english eh paano ka.nakikipag communicate sa mga amo mo? At least naman cguro marunong ka dont.say na hindi
C’MON,ENGLISH IS A LANGUAGE,IT IS NOT A MEASUREMENT OF INTELLIGENCE!!IF YOU THINK YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE ON SOMEBODY’S COMMENT,NO ONE FORCED YOU TO DO SO!!YOU ARE JUST ONE OF THOSE NARROW MINDED AND PRETENED TO BE INTELLIGENT ENOUGH!!!!!
@margarita S. Yalas
I dont think you have the right to correct her grammar, as I can see… U r not even that fluent in English either… Don’t play here like u r the well-wriiten and well-spoken english person here…. what a shame…. Being good in english means, U can get the logic in a paragraph even it is not well-written…. if u wanna have an English Convo battle… bring it on lady….
Haha…. well lady… u heard them right… try to improve ur English first before correcting others… dont be a dumbass Ms. margarita…
Oh common,can you read it twice or more your comments then know and learn aslo what is your mistake
i too experience it hoping that it will solved this issue
diyos ko naman mother yalas.ano ba pumasok sa kukuti mo at namimintas ka ng kapwa mo.imbes na makisimpatya ka na lang sa taong may problema pero hindi nakadagdag ka lang sa problema nya.naku patanggal mo na lang kaya yang nunal sa mukha mo baka magimpiksyon pa sa kapipintas mo sa kapwa mo…hindi ka naman yata pinilit na basahin yang message nya.kundi kusa mong binasa.tapos mag rereact ka ng ganyan.kung hindi ka ba naman tanga……problema nga nya ang sinishare nya dito hindi ung english o grammar nya.kaya sana unawain mo na lang sya.at intindihin mo rin kung ano ung sinabi nya.dont mind the english or grammar.the best you can do is share your good advice to her.simpatya lang ang kailangan nya kaya nya sinir yong problema nya dito..naintindihan mo ba mother…
Kahit ganyan lang ang English nya, at least she tried to share her ideas and what she felt. I am an English Language Teacher dito sa US and I am really proud of Vangie de Belen for writing her experiences dyan sa HK. I am teaching immigrant students who came from other countries who speaks other languages. I tried to encourage them to speak in English kahit ang grammars ay mali basta they tried na makapagsalita o makapag sulat ng English. You are doing a good job expressing your self sa English. Practice lang ang kulang dyan para magkaroon ng perfect English. At least you tried di ba? At saka one more thing, hindi naman English ang ating primary language kundi Tagalog, so don’t expect na maging perfect ang English natin. I feel bad sa ating kapwa Pinay dyan sa HK sa mga experiences nila. I was once a maid in HK (1985-89). Pero fortunately okay ang employer ko. Mabuti at may mga tumutulong na mga agencies sa kapwa nating Filipino dyan. Kung may maitulong kayo sa mga OFW dyan na kailangan ng tulong especially emotionally, please don’t hesitate to help. Magtulungan tayo lahat na Filipino. Salamat sa lahat! God Bless! 🙂
I dont have the room I sleep in living room wth the camera fucoss on me.
And they let me work on my rest day 4hrs wthout paying me.