Hong kong has about 300,000 workers who live with local families and help with the domestic chores. They are referred to as 'domestic helpers' by the Hong Kong Govt and 'migrant workers' by local advocacy groups, or 'maids' by the general populace. Most of them come from the Phillipines and Indonesia, with the most recent group in 2014 coming from Myanmar. They generally pay around USD $3000 for their position in Hong Kong, repayable over the first 5 - 12 months of their employment in the form of a loan (with interest). Hong Kong law requires that they live with their employers. This is a contentious topic which has created much debate. A lot of money, status and politics is involved. The actual situation of domestic helpers is very different from that presented by its legal framework. Here is a list of resources for when things go off the rails: Ambulance, Police, Fire: 999 more Mission for Migrant workersSt. John's Cathedral No. 4 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong SAR to find them http://www.migrants.net/to-find-us/ Tel: (852) 2522-8264 Labour Dept Conditions for domestic helpersA PDF document about conditions of employment for domestic helpers http://www.immd.gov.hk/pdforms/ID911A.pdf Social Welfare Dept HK Govt http://www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/Hotline Service 24hour 2343 2255Crisis line 18288 24 hour More details here and list of referral agencies throughout HK. Legal Aid Society of Hong KongLegal aid for those who cannot afford legal costs. and how to obtain legal aid http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/government/legal/advice/advice.htm More informationHong Kong Helpers campaign - a legal look http://hkhelperscampaign.com/legal-issues/ A good overview of the current situation in Hong Kong:
Recent articles providing some background to the debate:
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