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.

The Immense Impact of COVID-19 on Global Poverty

February 23, 2021

A pair of boys carry water near a refugee camp in Jowhar, Somalia. The COVID-19 pandemic has made conditions for marginalized groups such as refugees more dire. World Humanitarian Summit. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

For the past 30 years, the world has been able to make immense progress in international development, with the amount of people living in extreme poverty (making below $1.90 a day) declining from 36% in 1990 to just 10% in 2015. The COVID-19 pandemic is reversing that. For the first time in three decades global poverty is on the rise, and up to half a billion people are now at risk of falling into poverty due to the coronavirus. Even more concerning is the matter of where the economic impacts of the virus are being felt the hardest, with the “global south” countries facing the highest risk of increased poverty for what could be years to come.

In 2015, the U.N. adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which included 17 goals acting as guidelines for the sustainable and equitable development of all member states. Known as the “sustainable development goals” (SDGs), the international community hoped that they would act as a framework for reducing inequality and promoting economic development. Poverty reduction is at the forefront of this initiative, with SDG 1 calling for the end of global poverty. That goal will most likely not be achieved by 2030.

Even before the spread of the coronavirus, countries were not on track to completely eliminate poverty, with the U.N. estimating that 6% of the world population will still live in extreme poverty in 2030. Furthermore, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have made that goal even more difficult. In 2020 alone, more than 71 million people have fallen into extreme poverty, and millions more worldwide will likely fall into the same trap as the economic disruptions of the pandemic linger for years to come.

(T)he number of school-age children facing food insecurity has increased by more than 320 million

The aggregate numbers do not portray the full extent of the impacts of COVID-19 on international development. Regions already susceptible to extreme poverty are being hit hardest by the economic impacts of the pandemic. According to the United Nations University, a 10% contraction in global per capita income would cause between 180 and 280 million people to fall into extreme poverty. However, the situation becomes more dire when one considers where people are expected to face increased rates of extreme poverty. Again assuming a 10% contraction, it is estimated that up to 85% of those newly living in poverty would be located in sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia alone. These regions already face disproportionate levels of poverty relative to their populations. For example, the African continent accounts for only 13% of the world population yet makes up over half of those living in extreme poverty.

Those who were already at an increased risk for poverty, such as refugees, informal workers and those living in underdeveloped rural communities, are especially vulnerable to economic disruptions caused by the virus. The International Labor Organization estimates that between 5 and 25 million people could lose their jobs, which would create severe impacts for marginalized workers such as women and migrants. Additionally, the number of school-age children facing food insecurity has increased by more than 320 million according to the World Food Program.

The data shows a worrying trend that the international community must contend with to eliminate global poverty. Since the 1990s, the world has worked together to lift billions of people out of poverty and increase the global standard of living. Now, the COVID-19 pandemic has once again created a barrier to making a poverty-free future possible. The full extent of the virus’s impact has yet to be seen. However, what is already known is its effect on human livelihood, especially for those who are most at risk. The pandemic has created a new challenge for the international community if it wants to make extreme poverty a thing of the past. Yet, what can be achieved with global cooperation is immense, and the world’s vision for a sustainable future is still possible; it just might take a little bit longer than hoped for.

Aerex is a current student at Occidental College majoring in Diplomacy and World Affairs with a minor in East Asian Studies. He is passionate about sharing people’s stories through writing, and always strives to learn about new places and cultures. Aerex loves finding new music and exploring his hometown of Los Angeles in his free time.

Protestors respond to the government's mismanagement and poor aid response with signs such as this one that reads "Clean Lebanon of Corruption." BenjaminDNorto. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Mounting Debt Brings Lebanon’s Economy to Its Knees

July 30, 2020

Lebanon is experiencing an economic crisis unlike anything it has seen since the 1940s. Although there are a multitude of factors contributing to the country’s economic turbulence, one of the biggest problems is the hyperinflation of the Lebanese pound. A currency is labeled as “hyperinflated” if the country’s inflation rate exceeds 50% per month over an extended period of time. The casualties are so extreme that Lebanon is now the third-most indebted country. The loss of value for this currency has resulted in 5.4 million people struggling to manage an unstable economy, skyrocketing food prices and inadequate government assistance.

Life in Lebanon

Lebanon is located in the Middle East and has a diverse religious makeup. Many of its residents are refugees from Syria and the Palestinian territories, and as such, the country has survived many obstacles stemming from nearby conflicts. Lebanese luxury culture has famously endured through wars, political upheaval and civil violence, with people still willing to go out to nightclubs and buy expensive clothes. Nevertheless, it appears as though the country’s freewheeling lifestyle has finally hit a wall.

Life in places such as the capital, Beirut, is so wracked with uncertainty that months of protesting over the past year has led to the forcing out of Prime Minister Saad Hariri in October 2019. The protests revolved around frustration at Lebanon’s politics and politicians, citing corruption and incompetence in their chant of “Give back the looted money!” Despite the swearing in of a new prime minister, Hassan Diab, in January, the protests continued into March. They only dissolved once the government implemented quarantine measures in order to manage COVID-19.

One essential industry that is suffering acutely this year is Lebanon’s electrical providers. Blackouts have always been a fairly regular occurrence and are a regular money drain on the country, costing Lebanon up to $1.5 billion annually. This year, however, the power is exceptionally poor as a result of mismanagement, fuel problems and alleged foul play. Power cuts can last as long as 20 hours in some places, subsequently causing many people to depend on expensive generators. Perhaps most concerningly, these power cuts have been affecting hospitals. With hourslong power outages, hospitals have to redirect precious funding in order to buy fuel for their generators so that they can have light, air conditioning and surgical equipment. During a pandemic, this is especially concerning.

Understanding the Problem

The primary catalyst for Lebanon’s economic crash is the loss of currency value. The Lebanese pound used to be held fairly consistently at 1,500 pounds per dollar. People swapped the two currencies so interchangeably that one could pay for an item in one currency and get their change back in the other. However, that ratio has since tanked. The pound has sunk by about 80%, leaving more than 45% of Lebanese people in poverty, 33% unemployed, and most unable to access their savings.

Lebanon’s first misstep was its dependency on foreign investors and offering them high rates of return, especially during a time when other countries cut rates in order to encourage economic recovery. These high rates were appealing to wealthy foreign investors and drew many of them in, but once the Lebanese government began relying on an increasingly bloated debt to pay off its bills, investors began to withdraw. The country also failed to implement policies or reforms that could have accommodated this change, such as finding ways to unlock international aid. The country tried to counter the withdrawals by offering even higher interest rates, but they could only be covered by increasingly large deposits. As such, the situation spiraled out of control in a manner likened to a Ponzi scheme.

Ultimately, the value of a single unit of currency has been completely changed, affecting the daily lives of Lebanese residents. While the Lebanese pound has decreased in value, food costs have surged by around 190% since May 2019, leaving people hungry and desperate. Banks are only allowing limited money withdrawals or have stopped altogether as they struggle to manage the mountain of debt. The concern for many is that any money that banks are able to make is being used to pay back foreign investors rather than aiding people in Lebanon. The country now stands at a gross debt of $90 billion, a debt only topped by Japan and Greece.

Moving Forward

The government is struggling to get the economy under control, or at the very least to slow the mounting pile of debt. At the end of April, the country released a statement saying that it would seek $10 billion of aid from the International Monetary Fund, but the country has been unsuccessful in its previous bids. Above all, the country must find a way to stimulate the economy, or else its people will continue to suffer.