Women marriage migrants unite with women in all sectors around the globe in commemorating the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women on 25 November this year.
Violence against women emanates from the country of origin that perpetuates poverty resulting in marriage migration.
We, the migrant domestic workers groups, NGOs and regional networks, present our recommendations to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) on the rights of all women foreign domestic workers, documented and undocumented.
Firstly, we would like to express our appreciation for the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers. However, we are concerned that large numbers of migrants are currently excluded from its protection and therefore strongly urge the inclusion of undocumented migrants and families of all migrants.
As far as Hong Kong population statistics, the nearly 300,000 foreign domestic workers (284,901 as of November 2010) who live and work here are counted as 1) part of the Hong Kong population and 2) as part of the Hong Kong workforce. They are among the 3,710,400 female residents, and 3,763,000 total workforce in Hong Kong (as of mid-2011).
Thus they represent 7.5% of our whole workforce, about 15% of our female workforce. Do we give them equal protection for their safety as women, compared to the rest of the female workforce? How do we ensure this? The Hong Kong government and conservative groups in Hong Kong proclaim what great benefits we give them ‘already’ – i.e., the minimum salary (which in reality tends to be the maximum salary) – HK$3,740 per month, and ‘so many other things’: food and lodging, a return air ticket and one day off per week.
