The City on Sundays - Domestic Workers' Day Off

The City on Sundays

Sometimes while abroad, the best thing to do is just let yourself get lost in a new part of town. You may discover a lot more than what meets the eye.

One Sunday, I ventured from my apartment to the Mong Kok area to do just that. Immediately as I walked out of the station, I noticed hundreds of people (mostly women) who seemed to be of Southeast Asian descent sitting on the floor all over the walkways. Some were on blankets or mats, some were on cardboard boxes, and others were directly on the ground. At first, I thought maybe they were selling something but as I looked closer, they were all just sitting together, sharing food, and chatting. I didn't give it too much thought until I took a tram ride on another day (which I later realized was also a Sunday) and noticed the Central area of the city filled with the same kinds of people -- sitting on the ground on mats FILLING the sidewalks common areas:

What is a foreign domestic worker?

It wasn't until I consulted with a local friend as to why these giant crowds of people fill the sidewalks on Sundays and learned that these are foreign domestic workers -- a term that I wasn't familiar with. A domestic worker is basically a maid who lives and works within a home doing general household tasks (cooking, cleaning, etc.) on Monday through Saturday. They take Sundays off and meet outside of their employer's homes to hang out with each other. The friend I consulted with has domestic worker in his household and was surprised at how shocked I was that he had a maid. Having personal maids isn't a concept that I'm used to but it seems to be extremely popular and accepted in Hong Kong. However, because of the incredible mass of people I noticed (see photos), I thought something seemed wrong with this picture and as I did more research on this topic, I learned that I wasn't the only one who thought this.

What is the industry like?

I googled it (typical haha) and discovered that foreign domestic workers make up about 3% of Hong Kong's population - about half from the Philippines, half from Indonesia, and a few from Thailand. 

I asked one of my professors who had mentioned some problems with this industry in class for more information. Many illegal activities occur in this industry including human trafficking, abuse, and the withholding of wages. He explained to me that a huge problem of this industry in Hong Kong is the employment agencies that act as a middle man between the workers and employers. These agencies often will force the workers through bonded labor by paying for the domestic worker to travel to Hong Kong and then withholding her passport and her income until she pays off the debt. Many employers are told by the agencies to withhold the earnings and pay the agencies directly until the debt is paid off which forces employers to commit the crime without even knowing.

In conclusion...

I just learned of this concept and am learning more as I do more research but sharing what we learn is always a constructive way to gain awareness about any topic. There are also many civil rights groups actively seeking transparency among this industry. It's amazing what I've learned just by making an observation and asking a question! Planning to never stop observing and questioning :D