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Troubled domestic help industry in India a maid to order disaster

By Fri, Apr 06, 2012 3:43AM UTC 0 Comment

The incident involving the doctor couple in New Delhi arrested after being accused of locking up and starving a 13-year-old maid while vacationing in Thailand is not the first of its kind. It is also unlikely to be the last in India. Looked at from a linear perspective, the case is a simple one: an...

Foreign workers wanted in Asia, but no permanent residents please

By Tue, Nov 15, 2011 4:53PM UTC 0 Comment Filipina maids crowd the phones to call home at a shopping mall on their day off in Singapore. Pic: AP.

Asian nations relying on migrant workers must develop policies that respect human rights, writes Asia Sentinel’s Philip Bowring East Asia’s economic growth has brought in its train large-scale migration of temporary workers from poorer to richer states. The policies directed towards such migrants have varied from state to state, and these discrepancies have now been...

Hong Kong’s war against domestic helpers

By Mon, Oct 03, 2011 10:12AM UTC 0 Comment Supporters of Evangeline Banao Vallejos, a Filipino domestic helper who won a landmark court case Friday, outside Hong Kong High Court. Pic: AP.

Despite a court ruling against it, the government appears intent on making sure no brown-skinned Asians get right of abode, reports Asia Sentinel’s Philip Bowring The Hong Kong government seems set on ensuring that its ethnocentric instincts trump the rule of law. Following a court decision that gave right of abode (permanent residence) to a...

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More problems for mandatory insurance for Filipino helpers

By Wed, Dec 22, 2010 8:46AM UTC 0 Comment

Mired with confusion and controversy right at the beginning of its adoption, the mandatory insurance fee imposed for incoming Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong is even made more troublesome. This is because unscrupulous employment agencies in the Philippines take advantage of an apparent loophole in the law. The system imposed by the Philippine government...

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