A Hong Kong lawmaker has slammed the Immigration Department for ignoring a Filipino maid’s call for help for being taken to mainland China by her Hong Kong employer to work.
The 23-year-old Rosgen said an employer in Hong Kong hired her in early December. Her employer then took her along on a family trip to the mainland where she was asked to help an employer’s friend in cleaning and looking after the children.
Rosgen initially refused, but she gave in after her employer threatened her that she will be sent back to the Philippines if she disobeyed. She worked in the mainland for 12 days in a row before she was brought back to Hong Kong on January 10.
She handed a note for help to an immigration officer at a counter at the border control point, but the officer didn’t offer any help.
Rosgen filed a complaint with the department the same day, upon her return to Hong Kong. League of Social Democrats Leung Kwok-hung, who is assisting her, criticized the department for ignoring her request for help.
A representative from the department said they have reviewed the CCTV footage which showed Rosgen behaving calmly, chatting with her employer when they walked past the immigration counter. They also said they will begin an internal investigation into handling of requests for help.
They are also handling a separate investigation into Rosgen’s employer’s breach of the law by arranging for the domestic worker to work beyond what is stated in the contract.
