Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Friday, Mar 29, 2024

How can Hong Kong prevent domestic workers and their babies from going homeless?

How can Hong Kong prevent domestic workers and their babies from going homeless?

Experts say Hong Kong needs to roll out practical solutions for employers and raise awareness for these workers’ maternity rights, as they may be left in a more vulnerable situation.

Maternity leave in Hong Kong was last week increased from 10 to 14 weeks, which is obviously good news for working women in the city. But there’s a group that continues to be neglected and will struggle to actually benefit from this change: female foreign domestic workers.

It is hardly surprising that domestic workers start developing romantic relationships in Hong Kong, as many remain in the city for several years and sometimes decades. But although they are entitled to maternity rights, the reality they face is not quite straightforward.

In recent years, I interviewed several migrant workers who ended up being illegally fired or succumbing to pressure to resign after becoming pregnant. Their visa usually expires two weeks after being sacked, and they are often left with no option but to go underground or turn to charity groups – while struggling to provide their children with the most basic things, including shelter, food, education and even legal documents.

A recent survey by PathFinders – the only charity group in the city that is focused on migrant mothers and their children – showed that about 74 per cent of residents believe a pregnant migrant domestic worker should be entitled to maternity protection, but some 65 per cent consider such pregnancies to be unacceptable. Half of the respondents said this was because of the inconvenience caused to the employer’s household.


Employers have no obligation to provide accommodation for domestic workers’ newborn babies.


These findings confirmed the dilemma employers often experienced when their domestic workers became pregnant, PathFinders said. And, now, with the increase in maternity leave, advocates and support workers worry that employers will face a greater financial burden and growing stress, while migrant mothers may be left in a more vulnerable situation.

Under Hong Kong’s regulations, domestic workers are not allowed to live outside the home where they work, but employers have no obligation to provide accommodation for the worker’s newborn baby. Many find it hard for their domestic workers to stay in while on maternity leave, mostly due to the limited living space in the city’s flats.

Two cases that surfaced just last week have added to the support workers’ concerns.

“We‘re still investigating what may have happened – but from what we understand, the worker [a 24-year-old Indonesian] likely concealed her pregnancy as she was scared of being fired,” said Catherine Gurtin, CEO of PathFinders. “The employer hadn’t noticed the worker was pregnant, with thicker winter clothing, and on discovering the fetus – 30 weeks premature – in a box in the kitchen, called the police.”

Another domestic worker, according to Gurtin, recently gave birth in Hong Kong and her employer insisted she abide by the live-in rule during maternity leave, but refused to allow her baby into her home. “This is completely understandable from the employer’s perspective, but devastating for the nurturing care and early development of the baby,” she said.

“Unfortunately these aren‘t isolated and uncommon instances, and our fear is we may see more and more situations like these unless employers are supported with viable solutions,” Gurtin told me.

Although it’s possible for domestic workers to request from the Labour Department a live-in exemption during maternity leave, Gurtin isn’t aware of any successful application. “[We] continue to push for clarity on when and how this is approved,” she said.

Respondents to the PathFinders survey said the most desirable option for employers to overcome the current challenges would be to hire a temporary worker while their permanent one was on maternity leave. However, this would require changes to the existing visa policy for domestic workers and their contractual terms.

In 2018, migrant domestic workers contributed an estimated US$12.6 billion to the city’s economy, and allowed more than 110,000 Hong Kong mothers to rejoin the workforce, according to a report by non-profit group Enrich.

There should be greater clarity on what employers and workers can do when a pregnancy happens, and more practical solutions need to be introduced. A better liaison with support groups, who often fill the void left by authorities, is also necessary. The local government and sending countries should promote public education on migrant domestic workers’ maternity rights as well as guarantee the welfare of the children born in the city.

“Ensuring pregnant migrant domestic workers are not unlawfully dismissed from their jobs is extremely critical so they don’t end up overstaying illegally,” Gurtin said. “This will protect their unborn children and prevent them from becoming undocumented, stateless and unable to access essential services like health care and education.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
'I am not your servant': IndiGo crew member, passenger get into row over airline meal
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
BMW driver…
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
×