A court ruling this week in favour of a domestic helper who sued her Hong Kong employer for sexual harassment marked a “rare” legal victory for such vulnerable employees and could encourage other workers in similar situations to speak out, advocates have said.
The District Court on Friday ruled that Lam Yui-sang, 63, had created a “hostile and threatening” workplace for Indonesian helper Sri Wahyuni by demanding sex and asking her to have his child just a few days after she started work in February 2022. She refused and quit less than three weeks later.
The court ordered Lam to pay damages totalling HK$182,387 (US$23,430) to Wahyuni, as well as costs.
Eman Villanueva, a spokesman for the Asian Migrants’ Coordinating Body, said on Saturday it was usually difficult for helpers who were the victims of sexual abuse or harassment to gather enough evidence for police to establish a case.
He said it was smart of Wahyuni to make voice recordings of the sexual harassment.
“We congratulate this migrant worker, and we also think that others should follow her as an example of what to do in case they are confronted with such kinds of rights violations,” he said.
Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today
