Free Airline Tickets To Hong Kong?

April 25, 2023

To bring back tourism, 3 airlines are offering 500,000 free air tickets.

A Cage Home Away from Being Homeless in Hong Kong

November 23, 2021

Cage homes have become the dangerous solution to living in the most expensive housing market in the world: Hong Kong.

Man Living in a Cage Home. Pondspider. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Hong Kong is considered one of the most expensive cities to live in the world. The population of 7.4 million people live in a metropolis 110 times smaller than New York City. Many struggle with the mounting housing prices which seem to keep rising. As a dangerous solution, low income individuals have developed "cage homes'' or “coffin homes” in which they reside. It consists of a bed-space, usually made of wood or wired boxes, large enough to only fit a bed and one or two personal items. An estimated 200,000 people, including 40,000 children live in cage homes in Hong Kong. The poor and elderly are the ones experiencing the effects the housing crisis Hong Kong has caused.

Out of desperation, many people are deciding to live out of these cage homes in order to avoid living on the streets. These barbed wire “homes” were created in the 1950’s due to an influx of refugees coming from mainland China. They provided cheap labor for Hong Kong and, therefore, a demand for low cost bed space apartments. The apartment operators decided to make more profit by stacking bunk beds known as cages on top of each other, and the term “cage home” was created. Since then, the inhabitants have grown from immigrant workers to elderly men and women and children.

An average home in Hong Kong is about $1.28 million USD and a tiny “nano” apartment is on average $500,000 USD. Cage homes are approximately $230-$300 USD a month. They are the size of a parking space in the US, 7.5 feet in width and about 10 feet in length. They’re stacked on one another and there are approximately 30 cage homes in one room. All of the renter’s personal items are locked away at night or when renter’s go out for the day. Bathrooms are mostly communal and often there are no kitchens, just electric portable burners. While living in these homes, renters usually have no privacy or natural light coming in. Most windows are away from where the cage homes are placed. Many of the cage homes are in older urban districts, such as, West Kowloon, Sham Shui Po and Mongkok.

The mental and physical effects of living in a cage home are concerning. The people who live in these spaces are dealing with depression, anxiety and stress due to their financial situation and cramped living space. Although they live among others, they often feel isolated and alone. Hygiene is also a big issue when living in these confined spaces. Up to a dozen people share bathrooms and kitchen areas, which are at times both in one room. In addition, there are poor safety regulations due to the buildings’ age and the number of people living in these tight spaces. The inadequate fire protection is a big risk many face when choosing to live in constricted spaces like these. Renters often have to deal with the infestation of rodents, roaches and bed bugs, which in turn affects their sleep and adds to health issues. There is poor air quality and no ventilation systems, with summer temperatures making it unbearable. Some elderly people have described their lives in their cage homes as “waiting for death.”

The new coronavirus pandemic has made it extremely difficult to live in these confined spaces. The cage home inhabitants find it impossible to quarantine safely as they do not have any walls or personal space. Most of them have to wear masks to sleep in order to avoid contracting the virus from others in their room. Many who live in the cage homes used to escape their reality by spending the day in parks, librairies or jungle gyms, however the pandemic has forced all public areas to close. Now cage home dwellers pass the time by, napping, listening to music or watching TV. Volunteers visit the people living in these spaces and bring food to donate, while also spending time with the residents to ease their loneliness.

The reason for the rising costs in the housing market is Hong Kong’s dense population, in which only seven percent of the city’s land is used for residential living. The pace of land supply and creation has slowed down in recent years. With low supply and high demand for living space, Hong Kong’s housing prices have no chance to come down. Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam has proposed a variety of measures to boost the number of homes in the residential market. Her plan includes an aggressive target to turn the remote northern part of the city into a “metropolis” for 2.5 million people, a project that will take decades to complete. In July, Director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Xia Baolong set a city goal to eliminate its ‘infamously small apartments’ by 2049. This refers to less than 500 square foot apartments many residents live in. The Hong Kong government legally recognised cage homes, but did so under the label “bedspace apartments,” which are defined as “any flat in which there are 12 or more bed spaces occupied or intended to be occupied under rental agreements.” The United Nations has taken notice and calls the poor conditions present “an insult to human dignity”.

Jennifer is a Communications Studies graduate based in Los Angeles. She grew up traveling with her dad and that is where her love for travel stems from. You can find her serving the community at her church, Fearless LA or planning her next trip overseas. She hopes to be involved in international humanitarian work one day.

Hong Kong Activist Group Forced to Delete Social Media

September 30, 2021

In order to comply with China’s recent national security law, a well-known pro-democracy group was ordered to scrub its online presence.

A 2015 vigil for the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests. VeryBusyPeople. CC BY-SA 2.0

In early September 2021, the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, a well-known activist group in Hong Kong, received notices from officials to delete all online content to comply with the recent national security law. As a result, the group has closed its website as well as all social media pages, including their Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. The Hong Kong Alliance is most well known for hosting vigils for the 1989 Tiananmen Square student protests that resulted in hundreds of deaths. The protests in 1989 called for political and economic reform, and Chinese police responded violently and arrested tens of thousands of protesters. In addition, the group is known for advocating for democratic movements and does not hesitate to criticize the government online. Officials also used the national security law to arrest several leaders of the group who refused to provide information to police regarding the group’s funding and membership.

The security law went into effect on June 30, 2020, causing concerns that Hong Kong was losing its judiciary independence and other democratic freedoms such as freedom of speech and assembly. Under the initial 1997 agreement, when China gained control of Hong Kong from Britain, there was always supposed to be a national security law in Hong Kong. However, Hong Kong would retain a separate judiciary system. Hong Kong has previously had protests starting in 2019 in response to a law that allowed extradition to the mainland. The protests turned increasingly violent, and eventually, the extradition bill was withdrawn. The controversial security law criminalized succession, subversion of state power, terrorism and collusion with foreign entities. The law takes precedence over a local Hong Kong law, and a National Security Committee will be put in place with no local oversight. In addition, crimes considered to be serious national security threats will be tried on the mainland in Chinese courts, essentially a version of the extradition bill that was thrown out as a result of the 2019 protests.

The Hong Kong Alliance was not the first group that faced the consequences of the recent security law. Shortly after the law was enacted in 2020, many people deleted their social media, and pro-democracy media outlets deleted old posts and entire archives. The Hong Kong alliance has restarted a Facebook page. Still, it is unclear how the group will be using social media in the future.

Hong Kong’s Domestic Workers Demand to Be Treated Like Employees, Not Slaves

June 17, 2021

As COVID-19 exacerbates the discrimination and abuse that domestic workers in Hong Kong face on a daily basis, activists vigorously fight for their rights

Domestic workers take to the streets. International Domestic Workers Federation. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Erwiana Sulistyaningsih knocked on her neighbor’s door at 2 a.m. She needed food. She was a domestic worker, or “helper,” in Hong Kong for Law Wan-tung, who rarely fed her. By Hong Kong law, helpers are required to live with their employers, so such abuse is not unheard of. Nor was forced starvation the full extent of this abuse. Law once shoved a metal vacuum cleaner tube into Sulistyaningsih’s mouth, causing her lip to bleed. Law even forced her to stand naked in the shower in the middle of the winter while she splashed water on her. That night at 2 a.m., her neighbors saw the result of months worth of abuse.

Long a marginalized group, helpers fuel the economic engine of Hong Kong, completing domestic work so their employers can dedicate time to their careers, often in the lucrative financial sector. They shop, do laundry, help children with homework, cook meals, clean living spaces and do anything else their employers wish. While helpers are employed by both the middle and upper class and have a widespread presence in Hong Kong, they rarely have a voice in public policy debates. Because most helpers are migrants and ethnic minorities, they often endure discrimination and abuse because of their race and social class.

A woman protesting helper abuse. International Domestic Workers Federation. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Helpers suffer in an economic system that leaves almost no space to be human. Minimum wage for helpers is $596 a month. Having employers provide food and housing is intended to compensate for this low pay, but the real consequence of living with their employers is that helpers are effectively on-call all day, every day. Although helpers are required to be given one full day off each week, many are made to work anyway to satisfy their employers. Hong Kong law requires employers to provide helpers with “suitable accommodation” and “reasonable privacy,” but many helpers are forced to sleep on cots behind thin, cloth partitions. Some sleep on the floor.

A demonstration for helpers’ rights. International Domestic Workers Federation. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

COVID-19 further exacerbated the discimination which they face daily. In late April, the government ordered all 370,000 domestic workers in Hong Kong to take COVID-19 tests or get a vaccine, deeming them “high risk” due to their “mingling” with other migrant workers. However, they rescinded the vaccination requirement after public outcry in May, yet the testing requirement remained. This order prompted accusations of discrimination because it did not apply to migrant workers in white-collar positions or those who employ helpers. In fact, infection rates among helpers are lower than the Hong Kong average. Still, police and passers-by regularly harass people they suspect are helpers for not following COVID-19 guidelines, even if they are.

In particular, the live-in law has caused concern among activists campaigning for the rights of domestic workers in Hong Kong. In 2020, 17% of helpers reported being physically abused, a 2% increase from 2019. Cases of rape and sexual abuse increased to 6%. An astonishing 98% of helpers say they have worked longer hours during the pandemic. This is only the continuation of a trend. A 2016 study found that one in six helpers experienced forced labor at some point in their careers.

Demonstrators hold a flag from the Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions. International Domestic Workers Federation. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Erwiana Sulistyaningsih was only one of thousands to experience abuse as a helper. When she became so injured that she could no longer work, Law attempted to sneak her onto a plane to Indonesia, hiding her bruises with makeup and threatening to hurt her family if they were caught—they were. Law enforcement intercepted Law before she could do any more harm, and a Hong Kong court sentenced her to six years in prison. It was a major victory, not just for Sulistyaningsih but for all 370,000 helpers working in Hong Kong.

One positive trend for helpers’ rights has been a more focused public spotlight on their situation, led by a dedicated group of activists documenting and addressing helpers’ concerns. Sulistyaningsih made Time Magazine’s 100 Most Powerful People in 2014 for telling the story of her abuse. Her case serves as a reminder of the abuse that continues to befall helpers, and of how far away justice remains. Law Wan-tung got out of prison early in 2018, but for Sulistyaningsih and countless other domestic workers, physical and mental scars still persist.