Reform regulation of domestic helpers to protect them from abuse, rights group urges

Labour rights advocates and a group of pan-democrats have joined forces to call on the government to review policies on domestic helpers after the employer of Erwiana Sulistyaningsih was jailed for six years on Friday.

Current regulations governing domestic helpers - which make it mandatory for them to live with their employers - have made them vulnerable to exploitation, representatives from the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body (AMCB) said after meeting six pan-democratic lawmakers yesterday.

"New regulations must be adopted if [the government] wants to avoid another Erwiana," said AMCB spokeswoman Eni Lestari.

Erwiana, who leaves Hong Kong today, said: "I hope the Hong Kong government can soon recognise we are workers in Hong Kong and we are not slaves."

The calls came just days after Law Wan-tung was sentenced for abusing Erwiana and another Indonesian maid, Tutik Lestari Ningsih. Judge Amanda Woodcock urged the government to scrap the live-in rule to protect domestic helpers from abuse.

Eni Lestari said only 2 or 3 per cent of maids had decided to live independently when they still had the option in 2003 and that the government should not exaggerate the impact of allowing them to do so.