Best Posts in Thread: Domestic workers in Hong Kong victims of forced labor

It's hard to generalize when you talk about people, but one thing is for sure, we are all a product of our environment and opportunity. I doubt I would be where I am if I was born is some Middle East country and I would probably not make the same choices either. It's a shame that society has so detached itself from the suffering of others and is primarily focused on itself. I include myself in this statement. It's easy to be disillusioned/pessimistic with all the stuff that happens in this world. I just hope we don't all of us lose our humanity and compassion for those that haven't been as LUCKY as us. Yes, it's not all luck....handwork, talent and opportunity also come into play. It's a bit like looking a hill of dirt and knowing your little shovel will never move that dirt, so why try, but if there are a million little shovels miracles can happen. I doubt there are many employers in Hong Kong suffering at the hands of the evil Filipinas from the mountain. Do you really think they dream about growing up and working as a slave in HK?

There is a saying that goes all that's need for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing......

 

This may make sense on a political level, but in this case we are mostly talking about 20ish year old province girls. I don't think they should bare the "you get what you sow" from the actions of the ruling elite.

 

Sure, as usual, my post was largely a joke.

Domestic helpers in Hong Kong probably don't have a great life. But working as a domestic helper in the Philippines is probably as bad or worse.

The problem is that the governments in question don't have rules (or support / enforcement) in place to offset the lopsided power structure. Without government backing of domestic helper as a profession, the position turns into that of a slave.

The employers don't have the ethical / moral backing to be fair and not exploit their workers. It's an amazing trait of the human condition that someone can justify allowing (much less forcing) a worker to put in day of more than 12 hours with few days off.

As a service professional myself I try to give professional respect to any service worker, including helpers who are working for me. Grandma in Hong Kong may not give that same respect. What should be a professional relationship turns into a social status game. Grandma has the money and status to demand a main, that maid is below her and the maid will act accordingly.

Fortunately, I'm in a socio-economic position that I have enough leverage that I don't need much in government backing. These domestic workers aren't in that same position.

 

Hong Kong is not in the Philippines. A day in the life of a Hong Kong domestic helper has almost nothing in common with a worker here in Robinsons - other than being Filipina. Kinda shocking if you actually see it in person.

 

As far as there are filipinas involved suffering in HK by working there as an OFW the PH government could just simply put a ban on that their citizens are no longer allowed to work there any more and also forbid agencies to recruit people for that destination.
But that would be as biting in your own hands that get the commission disappearing in so many pockets or..??!!

 

There is a lot of racism here in the Philippines and to deny it is straight out blindness. As westerners especially white westerners we are used to it in the form of reverse racism so much that is hard to see if you don't lift up those blinders and we tend to just accept it as most of us realize human's no matter what color are inheritantly racist to some degree and racism to some extent is actually natural and normal. Racism is about the idea of survival of the fittest and everyone thinks their kind is the fittest and people make policies to try and ensure their kinds survival. So in the end yes the Philippines IS racist and even to the extreme as they set so many barriers against those they claim to welcome to make sure they don't get a fair shake and treated equally to that of Filipino's. Even those in the mountains generally have some racism in them about outsiders or those they perceive as different without even knowing anything about them. But as white people being told for the last century we are the only true racists and non whites can't possibly be racist we fool ourselves into thinking others aren't racist but its just normal because they aren't white.

But in the end as far as house helpers who really expects any different then this going on? When people are to lazy or to *busy* to take care of their own affairs they want someone else to do it for them but don't want to lose out financially. They are going to expect everything for as little as possible and when that person isn't one of their own in their perception then why care about them at all? In the US, UK, or any other western country it wouldn't be any different to be honest (think of slavery) except that our governments have established strong laws against it and through generations of those laws growing we have adapted and changed our viewpoints to match what is in our countries. Yet in countries without strong protections on being *fair* there is nothing to stop people from treating their helpers like slaves and trash.

Also though look in the Philippines at many of the helpers here. As the Philippines lacks any real protection Filipino helpers inside the Philippines are treated as slaves and trash also by many Filipino bosses. Many even employ a relative from the mountain area or a poor part of the family yet instead of helping this family member along with getting a helper they treat them like crap as well. I've seen enough cases of 16 on up helpers who never finished high school and are working as a helper for *family* who doesn't even care enough about them to help them finish high school even when they want to finish. Manila though seems better to a degree but ONLY because laws their are enforced a bit more strictly and their are more active places to complain on worker abuse there. If there weren't any stronger laws in Manila it would be no different then the rest of the country.

The worst part is anyone who thinks they can get ahead by being a helper even abroad is seriously fooling themselves. Many of these helpers who go abroad are warned beforehand of all the dangers. abuse, and even sexual abuse and yet they go freely knowing the likelihood of having a bad experience and it just being about how bad.