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Report/Press release

Exploited for profit, failed by governments : Indonesian migrant domestic workers trafficked to Hong Kong

Date

2013

Authors

Amnesty International, International Secretariat

Abstract

The workers are not tied to a single employer. However, if they leave their employer, they only have 2 weeks to find another, or else they fall under irregular status, a policy which acts similar to employer bondage.

Number of pages

146

Responsible institution

Amnesty International

Place published

London

Notes

**: The inability to find new employment in the two-week time limit leaves migrant domestic
workers with little choice but to remain in abusive and/or exploitative conditions or accept
jobs with unfavourable work conditions in order to maintain their immigration status.
In 2006, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women,370 raised
concerns that the Two-Week Rule pushes “foreign domestic workers to accept employment
which may have unfair or abusive terms and conditions in order to stay in Hong Kong” ...In addition to increasing migrant domestic worker’s vulnerability to exploitative and abusive
working conditions, the Two-Week Rule also significantly impedes their ability to access
redress mechanisms in Hong Kong -p.76

Links

Keywords

Trafficking

Economic sectors

Occupations in services - Domestic work

Content types

Policy analysis, Documented cases of abuse, Support initiatives, Statistics on work and life conditions, Current Policy, Numbers of migrant workers, and Systemic/state violation of right/freedom

Target groups

Policymakers, Public awareness, and NGOs/community groups/solidarity networks

Geographical focuses

China

Languages

English