25/01/2026
Your Legal Rights and Support as a Foreign Domestic Worker affected by the fires at Tai Po's Wang Fuk Court.
Today’s second session of Community Care for Domestic Helpers, organised by the Hong Kong Islamic Youth Association and funded by the Li Ka Shing Foundation, was nothing short of powerful. With the support of probonohk, Institute of Leadership & Management Foundation, the Indonesian Muslims Association in Hong Kong and Chaudhry Solicitors, the room filled up quickly.
Among the attendees were many domestic helpers affected by the Tai Po fire incident. Their presence brought a deep sense of responsibility and reminded us why this initiative matters so much.
Key Insights and Reflections
Across both sessions, one truth has repeated itself over and over again:
Most of the domestic helpers do not know their basic rights.
Simple rights, rights written clearly in their contracts, were things many had never even seen, let alone understood.
Many didn’t know that:
• They are entitled to dental care.
• Even if insurance covers only part of the cost, their employer must pay the remaining balance; helpers should receive full medical and dental coverage.
• If the employer is abroad, helpers must still reside at the official employment address.
• Employers cannot buy out weekly rest days.
One statutory rest day per week is not optional, negotiable, or replaceable with cash.
These aren’t privileges.
They are basic rights, legal, and meant to protect their well-being.
Yet so many helpers learned these facts for the very first time today.
And that is why these sessions matter.
This is why community matters.
When people come together, organisations, volunteers, and the helpers themselves, clarity replaces confusion, and empowerment replaces silence.
Today wasn’t just crowded.
It was meaningful.
It was necessary.
And it was a reminder that awareness is sometimes the first form of care!
Thank you, Ian Tse!
