【 Author: Eman Villanueva, Spokesperson for Asian Migrants Coordinating Body / 亞洲移居人士聯盟發言人 】

Discrimination and social exclusion of migrant domestic workers at its worst. The Hong Kong government has just imposed a mandatory testing and vaccination for ALL migrant domestic workers.

One single case of infection and the Hong Kong government is quick to target, punish and stigmatize the whole MDW community. This despite the fact that they are unable to identify the source of the infection.

They even went to the extent of blackmailing migrant workers by threatening to refuse working visa if one is not vaccinated. Shamelessly arguing that we can choose not to work in Hong Kong anyway as if that is a real option for migrants. A“take it or leave it” reasoning that is quite commonly heard from unscrupulous employers.

They did not respond like this when there were outbreaks in several fitness gyms and dance studios, restaurants, banks, etc. They did not impose mandatory testing and vaccination for all gym instructors, employees and members. Not to all dance instructors, restaurant workers, and definitely not to all bankers.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic reached Hong Kong, not a single outbreak has been traced to come from the migrant domestic workers’ community.

So why do this to migrant domestic workers? Because to them we are easy targets and scapegoats. It’s because they know we are vulnerable and we don’t have much choice but to follow their discriminatory, illogical and unreasonable impositions or end up jobless. Because they treat us as second class citizens and are systematically and socially excluded in Hong Kong.

Such shameless and inhumane treatment of migrant domestic workers by a government who hypocritically claims to “recognise” our immense contribution to the society deserve no less than our outrage and strongest condemnation.

 

#EndSlaveryHK
#EndDiscrimination
#NoToSocialExclusion

（標題為編輯所擬）