Abused, fighting for justice: the ordeals of Asia’s migrant domestic workers in 2019

Domestic workers are in dire need of protection, with one sacked in Hong Kong after a cancer diagnosis, another caned and force-fed in Singapore, and thousands losing money and children every year.

Reading Time:4 minutes

Baby Jane Allas, a Filipino domestic worker who was sacked after she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, at an April hearing at the Labour Tribunal in Hong Kong. Photo: AFP

Published: 1:00pm, 25 Dec 2019Updated: 1:00pm, 25 Dec 2019

There are more than 21 million migrant domestic workers filling the care gap in Asia and the Pacific, but despite their essential role and economic contribution, many face abuse and have few rights. Here are some of their stories.

MISTREATED, SICK AND FIRED

Filipino domestic worker Baby Jane Allas was fired in February by her Hong Kong employers after having been diagnosed with stage-three cervical cancer.

Before being sacked, Allas said for 15 months she had spent her nights in a cupboard without a bed or a mattress, and that she was given limited food and was not allowed to take full days off.

The case, which was first reported by the South China Morning Post in March – less than two weeks after Allas received her dismissal letter – sparked outrage and prompted hundreds of people to donate more than HK$920,000 (US$118,000) to support her treatments through an online fundraising campaign.

“I can’t even say how grateful I am. So many people have donated without even knowing me,” Allas said.

In April, she won HK$30,000 (US$3,800) in compensation from her employer in a settlement of the case at the Labour Tribunal in Hong Kong.