“A suitable quarters for foreign domestic worker” – that is the call of a migrant support group towards the Hong Kong government. They also suggested the ban of the use of kitchens and toilets as accommodation for FDWs.
Recently, the Mission for Migrant Workers was able to publish a report with the title “Between a Toilet Bowl and a Wall,” which is a documentation of the living condition of some domestic workers in Hong Kong.
Image via HongKong News
In the report, they have compiled a couple of photographs showing the sleeping quarters of these unfortunate migrant workers, which include a toilet, a motor mechanics store, and a tent. As per the recommendation of the migrant support group, they are urging the government to ban these practices and the new rule must be clearly stated at the Standard Employment Contract’s Schedule of Accommodation and Domestic Duties.
Currently, they only mentioned two ‘unstable’ living spaces including the sharing of a room of an adult or teenager of the opposite sex and the made-do beds that are placed in corridors as they have ‘little privacy’.
The migrant group is calling for the government to add stairwells, kitchens, illegal outdoor structures, and balconies to the list of unstable accommodations. They are also recommending the review of the mandatory live-in rule in Hong Kong.
“We still profess that live-out arrangements can be an option that should be made available for both the employers and the domestic workers, and should not be criminalized,” says the migrant support group.
Source HongKong News
