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View all search resultsGuilty verdict in HK domestic worker abuse case a wake-up call: Amnesty International
The guilty verdict handed down to a Hong Kong employer for abusing two migrant domestic workers should motivate authorities to stop the exploitation of tens of thousands of women, says Amnesty International
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T
he guilty verdict handed down to a Hong Kong employer for abusing two migrant domestic workers should motivate authorities to stop the exploitation of tens of thousands of women, says Amnesty International.
Law Wan-tung was found guilty by the Hong Kong District Court of multiple counts of abuse of Indonesians Erwiana Sulistyaningsih and Tutik Lestari Ningsih.
She was cleared of the charges of abuse and threatening behavior against a third Indonesian woman, Nurhasanah.
Wan-Tung is due to be sentenced on Feb. 27 and could face a lengthy prison term.
'The guilty verdict is a damning indictment of the government's failure to reform the system that traps women in a cycle of abuse and exploitation,' said Norma Kang Muico, Asia-Pacific migrant rights researcher at Amnesty International, in a statement on Tuesday.
'The Hong Kong authorities can no longer bury their heads in the sand and dismiss horrific abuses as isolated incidents. Concrete action to end laws and regulations that foster such horrific abuse is long overdue.'
During the trial, Erwiana recalled how she was frequently beaten, locked up, threatened and denied food by her former employee over an eight-month period. She also alleged that Wan Tung confiscated her passport, deprived her of wages and failed to grant her days off.
There are more than 300,000 migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. About half of them are from Indonesia and nearly all are women. Lured by the promise of high-paying jobs, the reality is that women are routinely deprived of wages, rest days and freedom of movement. They also subject to the confiscation identity documents, physical and sexual violence, and food deprivation.
In November 2013, Amnesty International published a damning report on the abuse of migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong entitled 'Exploited for Profit, Failed by Governments'. The report highlighted the ways tens of thousands of Indonesian women are trafficked for exploitation and forced labor.
Hong Kong's laws stipulate that migrant domestic workers must find new employment and obtain a work visa within two weeks of the termination of their contract or must leave Hong Kong.
This pressures workers to remain in an abusive situation due to the unlikelihood of finding employment within the two-week grace period. For many, this makes it impossible to repay the significant recruitment fees or to continue support their families. (hhr)(++++)
