虐待案件导致香港女佣短缺

A looming shortage in maids in Hong Kong threatens to make it more difficult for the city's residents to hire experienced domestic.

The spate of abuse cases against maids has discouraged many to take on the job, and it's pushing up the cost of hiring one in the city.

Thirty-eight-year-old Kana has been working for Mrs. Wu in Hong Kong for almost six years now. She finds herself luckier than most as she and her employer get along well. But it's not been the same for her peers. Her heart breaks when she hears of the abuse they go through.

"I feel really bad when I hear of it. But I feel all the more fortunate I have a kind boss," said Kana, Indonesian domestic helper in Hong Kong.

The most recent among high-profile cases involved Indonesian domestic helper Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, whose former employer in Hong Kong in February was sentenced to six years in prison, found guilty of abusive behavior.

Thousands of domestic helpers in the city cheered the verdict. Still, hundreds more opt to live silently and in fear, for losing their jobs would devastate the families they support back home. Mrs. Wu, who followed this high-profile case until the end, feels compassion for domestic helpers in the city.

"It is wrong to hurt a helper. If they do a bad job, they should just be asked to leave. I keep the peace here by treating Kana like a friend," said Mrs. Wu, employer of demestic helpers in Hong Kong.

Recent incidents of maid abuse in Hong Kong have had a chilling effect among those looking for work as domestic helpers in the city. Of the 320-thousand helpers in the city, half are from the Philippines.

The rest from Indonesia, and a small number from Bangladesh and Myanmar. Prospective employers no longer have a choice who to pick, because it's become so difficult to find one.

Earlier this month, Golden Mind Recruitment was reportedly forced to close after Myanmar's government stopped sending domestic helpers to Hong Kong due to the recent abuse cases. Golden Mind was the only agency in Hong Kong bringing in maids from Myanmar.

While the number of prospective helpers coming to Hong Kong is dropping, it is also because of improved economic conditions abroad. Filipino helpers are opting for factory jobs in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, where they are paid more, than the five-hundred-17 U-S dollars a month they get in Hong Kong.

Employment agency owner Teresa Liu warns Hong Kong families who prefer experienced domestic helpers may now have to pay more than government-mandated wages to get them.

"All the expenses will have to be paid by the Hong Kong employer. So that's why now the placement fee is very high," said Teresa Liu Tsui-Lan, Technic Employment Service Center.

For now, Mrs. Wu and Sarah won't have to worry much. Her contract doesn't come up until March of the next year, and so far, both are happy working with each other.