Ombudsman calls for stronger regulation of Hong Kong’s boarding houses for domestic workers after past coronavirus outbreak
- An investigation by the watchdog found dormitories involved in a Covid-19 outbreak in 2020 had fallen outside the purview of current regulations
- In 2020, there were over 28 confirmed coronavirus cases involving domestic helpers living in boarding facilities
Boarding houses provide domestic helpers with a place to stay while they wait for visa renewals in between jobs or before returning to their home country. Helpers in Hong Kong are legally required to live with their employers after they are hired.
The watchdog found that the Labour Department, which oversees issues relating to domestic helpers, would often refer complaints about boarding facilities to the Home Affairs Department, which issues licences for living spaces.
However, it found that it was difficult for home affairs officers to take action in instances involving boarding houses run by employment agencies which were free of charge or were not advertised openly, as these facilities fell outside the purview of current ordinances.
For these reasons, follow-up actions could not be taken by the department when it came to three out of four boarding houses involved in a coronavirus outbreak in 2020.
“We appreciate that employment agencies perform a social function by operating boarding facilities for helpers in need of temporary accommodation,” said Ombudsman Winnie Chiu Wai-yin in a written statement on Thursday.
