VIDEO – HK’s Domestic Workers Star in Kitsch ‘We Are Family’ Music Vid

For Good have brought together NGOs and domestic workers for a kitsch music video extravaganza – a local take on ‘We Are Family’ by Sister Sledge. Hk Helpers Campaign, Christian Action, Fair Employment Agency, Filreflex, Komadrona, St. John’s HIV Education Centre, The Grace Notes, Unsung Heroes, and dozens of individuals took part on Migrants Health Matters Day earlier this month.

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EVENT – This Sunday: “We Are Family” HK Domestic Worker Music Video Shoot

For Good is shooting a fun dance/lip sync music video to Sister Sledge’s classic track “We Are Family” to show their love and support for Community Health Day for Migrant Workers in Hong Kong!

Let your inner diva out, come down for 15 minutes and make your all-star appearance! All are welcome. 

Event

Simply turn up with your friends this Sunday at 3pm at St. John’s Cathedral in Central.


PRESS RELEASE: Domestic Workers’ Roundtable this Sat

PRESS RELEASE: Domestic Workers’ Roundtable – April 25, 2015 – register here.

Domestic worker NGOS, lawmaker Emily Lau and the Philippines & Indonesian consulates will come together on Saturday to discuss issues affecting the helper community.

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April 25, 2015, 2:00pm – 5:15pm, Academic Conference Room, 11/F Cheng Yu Tung Tower, Centennial Campus, HKU.


NEWS – Regina Ip Deletes Column Condemning Sexual Behaviour of Filipino Helpers

Via HongWrong.com. Translations courtesy of Ellie Ng.

Pro-Beijing politician Regina Ip has removed a controversial column from her blog and Facebook related to the sex lives of domestic workers. In the piece, also printed in Ming Pao, she decried the international media for “exaggerating” the Erwiana abuse case and made reference to the recent suicide of a teenager.

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BLOG – Canadian Tribunal Hears From Expert on Prejudice in Hong Kong

Dr anna

Dr. Anna Guevarra is the Director, Asian American Studies, at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She spoke at the Human Rights Tribunal related to the abuse of a Filipino domestic worker who joined a Hong Kong family in Canada. She is an expert in immigrant labour; global carework (specifically domestic work, with a focus on Hong Kong); gender and migration; Filipino and Philippine studies; race and ethnicity. Her report was submitted as evidence and is reproduced – in full – from court records below.

[72] Dr. Guevarra’s report says that the stereotypes or prejudices that apply to Filipino domestic workers revolve around characteristics that mark them as “docile” workers. That is, Filipino domestic workers are often marketed as obedient, hardworking, Godfearing, loyal, honest, cooperative, and compliant. At the same time, she says that they are also promoted as highly educated, skilled, and exhibiting a high tolerance for stressful conditions.

[73] Dr. Guevarra says that, in general, Hong Kong employers typically stereotype foreign domestic workers, and especially Filipino women, as carrying a particular kind of “modernized” sensibility that makes them morally suspect. Hong Kong employers are said to perceive Filipino domestic workers’ sense of independence and readiness to leave 7 their families in the Philippines not as a sign of filial piety, but instead, as a sign of financial desperation that could lead to acts of transgression. She notes that these perceived transgressions are often of sexual nature, such as seducing a male member of the household or engaging in sideline sex work for the purposes of permanent residence and financial security. Thus, the Filipino workers are often seen as a threat to the female employer of the household. As a result, Filipino domestic workers’ physical appearance or attractiveness, such as their clothing, hairstyle, and physical adornments have all become routinely subject to scrutiny and discipline.


HELPERS – Helper Treated “Like a Slave” by Hong Kong Family Awarded HK$339,412 by Canadian Court

A Filipino domestic worker has been awarded HK$339,412 (CAD55,000) at a Canadian Human Rights Tribunal which said she was held as a “virtual slave” by her Hong Kong employers.

The family brought the mother of two, known as “PN” to Canada with them in 2013. The husband was found to have been sexually assaulting her and the wife humiliated and abused her in a hotel suite they stayed in while house-hunting. The children also made fun of her.

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UPDATE – Thank You! Justice For Elis Campaign Raises HK$45,000

Thank you to all who donated to the JusticeForElis.com campaign. On Tuesday, Mission for Migrant Workers passed on HK$45,030 (after PayPal and bank fees) to Elis’s family.

This sum will make a huge difference to the family and give them some breathing room as they consider their legal options. HK Helpers Campaign and Mission for Migrant Workers are grateful to all of those who took the time to donate. Thank you everyone once again for your amazing generosity!

Justice for Elis


NEWS – A Thousand March Demanding Justice for Elis 2

Dressed in black and wearing headbands, up to 300 domestic workers protested outside the Indonesian Consulate in Causeway Bay demanding Justice for Elis. Elis, a domestic worker from Indonesia, died tragically after a 60kg concrete block fell on her at the Sunlight Agency hostel where she was staying.

They demanded changes to the Indonesian Government rules that require all domestic workers to be employed through agencies. This, they say allows for exploitation of domestic workers as the agencies are often unregulated, or regulations are unenforced.