A Filipino domestic worker was forced to sleep on a bed over two washing machines in a laundry room in Po Tak Mansion in Happy Valley in Hong Kong Island, according to a Facebook post.
The domestic worker said in the post that her bed was as long as a refrigerator and on top of two washing machines. She said she endured poor air quality in the laundry room when the machines were working.
The maid said her employers required her to return home at 7:30pm on days off to take care of their children. She also had to look after the children on holidays when her employers were out in the evening.
Worse, she said she was always emotionally abused by her employer.
“When I teach my employer’s 7-year-old child to behave and tidy up, he used the ‘F’ word and called me stupid-silly-worst helper,” she said in her post. Not surprisingly, she said she had left this employer.
Under regulations in Hong Kong, employers are required to provide a six-feet-long bed for domestic workers. However, the rules do not list more detailed requirements in regard to accommodation for workers.
Domestic workers are entitled to a 24-hour day off every week but some employers fail to meet the requirements.
The Mission For Migrant Workers (MGMW), a non-government group that services foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong, has urged the city government to take action to ensure that foreign domestic workers are given proper accommodation – including a room and access to a toilet.
Read: Charity urges better accommodation for Hong Kong maids
Read: Legal challenge against live-in rule for domestic workers
This was happened long ago the abuses and poor accomodation like my cousin’s bed it is just a three ruler bed wide and it is like a cabinet with curtains in the other side so how she can sleep that she feel like inside the casket? The HONGKONG GOVERNMENT MUST HAVE RULES AND STRICT REGULATIONS TO THE EMPLOYERS IN HIRING A MAID. Do hope they will listen all this complains!!
Hk goverment must have random check in every employers house if the maid has comfortable accomodation.And also check the situation of tge helper duribg thier day off..
I hope they take an action,to all DH here in H.k bcz,more employer is no given proper Holidays and same like me I sleep only on the small kitchen together th Cakroots,and time my Holiday is late,need to serve and cook.b4 I go.and need to coming back 8 pm bcz,serve they are dinner.
Some employers here in HK are not rich they are average people who hire DH for children or elderly, and mostly cant afford a big flat, though i share sentements of some flights of dh here in HK but we have also to understand their living condition specially that housing here in HK is expensive for average employers specially if both are relying on their salaries too. However there are options for DH either they will stay or find other countries to work with, as for those who wish for live out, JAPAN i guess is giving that option. As for working at your boss if the DH goes back from day off its an option if you do the work or not but theres a consequences of that, besides dh will do the work just the same the following day, 24 hours day off, Sunday off, begin at 12 midnight saturday to 12 midnight Sunday. Nevertheless should the HK GOVERNMENT can address this problem it would be good for both DH and EMPLOYERS.
If my employer general manager of a big company can i complain..bcz of now i think million times b4 i step whats good for me and for the previous helper she hire it????
Can i share also my situation her in hongkong im firstimer working her in hongkong… My off my employer let me go 10-10:30 in the morning & she told me to comeback at exactly 6pm sharp.. when im already 3months i ask my employer about my off why not following the job order that she sign.the off is 9am to 8pm.. She shout at me and tel to terminate me..so i keep quite because i need work.. but now i see this post.. can i tel to the labor? About my situation i want to break my contrack in this employer & im leaving to the house of her mother now we already her 4months together the baby that i take care.
ganyan din room ko..ksma ko washing machine at dryer
My friend also during her off she need to clean the house cook baby food b4 she can go out mostly she go out 11 am and when comeback need to clean the house again and hand wash baby clothes b4 she sleep.hope and pray this 24 hours day off can make employer to follow .only 1 time one week we can rest why do they need us to do work b4 can go out is this fair enough?
Not only accommodation but also proper food, many employers are not providing that is why food allowance must be imposed, it’s A MUST
I hope there is stay out if there is no comfortable place to sleep.. and please work should be 8 hours and please speacially for holiday.. we only have once a week holiday must be 24 hours required not to work the helper and there is no curfew time i hope the hongkong government should be given the employer an action if they will not follow the rules of law..
thats the BIG question here in Hk,no body is really assign to check such situation,before allowing the hk employers to employ a FDH,and making making sure that this Employer can really comply with the needs,and the necessity of a Helper.
in the other hand,a HElper should take as well the initiative ,to fight to her Rights and welfare,if she finds out that she is not being treated well and not given the proper accomodation.since we had a contract that requires them..to do so,and its a valid..and both employee and employer should agree with,not unless,they have a mutual arrangement…in such situation…
me, i sleep under the stairs! and i am 5’6" tall and guessed my bed is just 5′ hehe
My frnd bed is inside the kitchen cupboard.. she needs to climbed up the sink then used folding steps . She needs ti crawled inside her tomb bed room…after a year her employer bought a new house… her new room??? At the toilet ceiling with a higher ladder…
yes, thats true, like my sister she work before she leave the employer house wakeup at 5:30am and leave at 8:00 comeback at 7:00pm to tidyup and massage the lady employer at 11:00to 1:30am wake again at 5:30am for the last two years her routine work, very worst employer i know in hk. she is one of the lawyer court in hk. i hope that the hk goverment will listen to the voices of the foriegn maid.
Correction for this article is says some employers are fail to meet the requirements about the 24 hours day off of their helpers…well Asia Times not "some". Most employers are failing to meet and violeted the rights of the helpers…
As i am experiencing today ( less food and less sleep ) that i made a mistake/regret on my part. the agency in the phils. Should secure to have food allowance and have own room before the dh signing the contract…. these 2 things are very important before the deployment of their domestic helpers.
The employers mostly they didnt follow the laws they are law breakers…hoping that the govt must be will take action promptly.!
My employer said I need to go home before popo dinner 6:00 p.m at night during my sunday off,and cook her breakfast before I leave
The accommodation situaton in Hong Kong is becoming unbearable not just for domestic workers but for young local workers and professionals starting jobs.
Naranasan ko din yan sa first employer ko dto 6hours Lang off anytime at any day nya ibgay bsta maisipan nya,tatlong bata alaga ko kaya subrang pagod tlaga nakakamatay tlga lalo na pasaway ang panganay nangangat at nanununtok pa,. Tas ang tulogan ko sa baba ng sampayan ng mga damit nila sa sala, tas pag nilalagnat aq nagpapaalam ako magpahinga konti nagagalit cya wala man Lang gamot kahit paracetamol lang sana., kaya after 6 months nagsagutan Kami kc gusto ko terminate na nya aq…tas un nakahanap nmn aq ng mabait na amo ngaun
How if a room located in terrace? I suffered on weather.
naranasan ko mag stay out mahirap din,,,,,
i agree with you coz we cant say no to employers who say can you pls.tidy up everything before u go off n after off needs to tidy up again.even though we have an important appointment cos its only one day off to do our transactions.i dont want to upset them but honestly to tell u frankly they dont think of that.even though u want to sleep more coz its ur day off u need to get up n get ready rather than aeeing u there n they start that "can you"…
Aisha Ahmed he’s being sarcastic ????
Malinis naman atleast may sarili ci and room ndi tulad iba kasama mga alaga wala privacy room ko rin may washing machine ndi rin ako nakakhiga pero dun ako s alaga ko natutulog
Bago naman tayo hired amo natin ask tayo willing ka diba Tapos complain complain pa kayo importate te may tulugan pina pakain tayo husto….pero ok na yan tulugan mo malinis tgnan pero iwan ko lang s iba na wala din sarili room
Make live out an option, if the flat is too small to accommodate your helper
How u could say nice employer if they’d not treated thier helpers in A proper way?..
Me too for my first employer i sleep on the top of laundry cabinet when I up to sleep i directly lying down never seat because I’m almost reach on the ceiling down was drier and washing machine too
Complains will end up terminated gnna lose the job and government will do nothing about it because you stand to fight for your rights in the end visa finish didnt find new job due to why left previous job reason
Need to upgrade the law for workers and the contract actually the main problem is agency agent they never stand for helper always on the customers side even they know they are bad they stil giving them maid to make money because they know the girl will not last longer both will come back find another maid or job
It’s hard to fight for rights in hk especially for maids because they will not gnna have much time after being terminate or leave the job to find new job it’s costly …only will become mystery that someone speaks out now suddenly gone
Jonathan Crompton read by messages you will get the answer
For me,If the employer breaking the contract law of domestic helper,Should be punished by the Govt of Hongkong.No need to employed a helper.
Alot of helper afraid to complained about their Employers,Its because once they complained,Automatically Employer will terminate the contract.Mostly Employer acting like this.
Sa totoo lang, ayaw ko rin ng stay out, kc d mo rin masosolo yung bed may kashare ka rin,no privacy, maingay yung ibang boarders, magtitiyaga nlang ako sa sofabed ko
It just lucky that i left from my prev. Employer in tung Chung. male boss was good, he is american. But the wife mother (not western) who is not in the contract always make trouble. She claim a professor.. but life style and attitude like ppl no education at all. dancing every morning from park to park, using public toilet everyday to save cost. Very limit food, and the worse is asking me to stand for view hours just waiting her to do dance or exercise in outdoor. everyday. Not even allow to sit. With the baby. No matter very hot or very heavy rain and windy. Very crazy old lady from village maybe, come to hk putting her self like a queen. She only Exit for a while and comeeback again .
Thank God that i free from them. Even they didnt pay all what they should pay to me. But i am happy now that i get more than very nice one.
Hndi nman laht.minsan may mga abusado ring ofw lalo n pag alm n mabait ang amo.
one thing I just tell is they must treat as a human not a slave they even don’t respect us when have no privacy at all the door is just a piece of curtain and when it’s time for us to sleep they don’t care when they make sarcastic voices and then we’re disturb of it but when they’re sleep your try to test to make noise they will say slowly we’re the justice of it
More regulations are good but civic education is really needed. You cannot regulate empathy and compassion. You would not let your own boss treat you this way, why would you treat an employee like that?
Peter Roberts and you didn’t know how to read and understands what the article is really about !????????poor mind tsk..tsk…
The philippine government should take action againts hongkong national who always abuse domestic helpers,We filipinos have dignity and deserve respect ✌????
Walang bago same here ang tulugan q sa sahig with manipis na mattress sa baba lang ng kama ng anak ni amo.. kaya pag baba nya from bed always jump over me..minsan nasisisipa nya aq or naapakan nasa uluhan q sa kanan ung extension wire sa kaliwa naman ung pinto pag sinara sabay boom! Bingi si aq hayyy.. mahirap pero tinitiis q hanggat kaya… sana ipatupad talaga yang maayos na tulugan para sa mga domestic workers.. gudluck!