A group exhibition featuring domestic workers and their stories is aiming to shed light on the struggles intersecting race, class, labour and migration.
Afterwork is part of a year-long project on Hong Kong’s migrant domestic workers. It features works from artists including Xyza Cruz Bacani, an award winning photographer who was previously a domestic worker.
Pro-democracy lawmakers Emily Lau, of the Democratic Party, and Fernando Cheung, of the Labour Party, attended the exhibition on Sunday.
“The government needs to set up a mechanism to handle complaints. They need to improve the existing system to handle disputes between the employees, employers and agencies,” Lau said at an open discussion during the visit. “Employers also need better education on labour code compliance.”
Cheung said: ” ‘Hong Kong people are becoming friendlier to domestic workers, and the younger generation who have been raised by them are open-minded and understanding… More cultural exchange is needed to help improve communication.”
A Draft Code of Practice for Employment Agencies will be debated on by the Panel on Manpower at the Legislative Council on Tuesday.
A survey in March said that 95% of foreign domestic workers exploited or forced into labour in Hong Kong and an NGO said that they work long hours and lack privacy.
The Afterwork exhibition is hosted at Para Site and will be on display until May 29.
