NEWS – Myanmar Agency Still Sending Helpers to HK Despite Ban
The Myanmar Times reports that a Burmese employment agency is still sending women to work in Hong Kong despite a government ban. The Myanmar authorities halted the departure of domestic workers to Hong Kong as abuse cases dominated local headlines last May.
Some Burmese helpers are now having second thoughts about working in Hong Kong. According to the Labour Rights Clinic, a Myanmar-based NGO, two women wishing to withdraw from their Hong Kong contracts are under financial pressure from the Gold Mine employment agency which recruited them. One woman reported facing a penalty of K1.6 million (about US$1660) if she breaks her contract.
“We’ve heard bad things about Hong Kong. My mother is worried and doesn’t want me to go there any more. But we can’t afford K1.6 million,” She told the Myanmar Times.