Silent suffering: how a domestic helper’s Hong Kong dream became a nightmare
Nepalese helper came to city in search of better life, only to find exploitation, exhaustion and abuse behind closed doors
Sanju*, a foreign domestic helper of Nepalese ethnicity, never imagined her Hong Kong dream would turn into a nightmare.
The 34-year-old arrived in Hong Kong in 2023, driven by a simple wish to work in the city of her dreams. But she said her first employer paid her 30 per cent below the statutory minimum wage, allowed her only two hours of sleep a day, and gave her just three rest days over six months, during which she was only paid two months’ salary.
After six months, she was dismissed and thrown out of the flat in the middle of the night because she could not speak English.
Sanju found a new employer three months later, but that was only the start of another ordeal, she said.
“I had to sleep on the floor in a small room where I could not stretch my legs. There was no fan, no air conditioning, no breakfast for me, and I was not allowed to open the window,” Sanju said through an interpreter.
Once, she bought her own food and tried to cook in the kitchen, but she said the employer told her, “It’s my gas, my kitchen,” and threw the food away.