A 58-year-old housewife in Hong Kong was arrested following a complaint by a Bangladeshi domestic helper that she had been physically and mentally abused, Hong Kong-based English daily The Standard reported on Monday.
In the case, police said a 27-year-old Bangladeshi named Kalpona Akter who arrived in October to work as a helper for a family of four had filed a complaint, claiming she had been abused.
Kalpona’s story came out yesterday after she went to a police station to provide a statement after she had gone to the Hong Kong office of her recruitment agency Technic Employment Service on Saturday to complain.
She claimed to have been punched - including blows to the head - and that her employer had used a metal brush to scratch her hands, pulled her hair and confined her in a storeroom.
Kalpona said she was not even allowed to apply medical cream to her wounds.
On November 12 last year the Dhaka Tribune ran a report on Bangladesh domestic workers being ill-treated in Hong Kong.
Seven female migrants who were compelled to return home after losing jobs in Hong Kong brought allegations of mistreatment against their employers.
They claimed they were provided with insufficient food, had to put up with excessive pressure of work and were frequently terminated from jobs.
A delegation led by Additional Director General of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training Jabed Ahmed visited Hong Kong from November 5 to 9 to inspect the condition of female workers.
“We have reviewed the MoU and strengthened the training so that our migrant workers are not abused,” Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
He also claimed there had been no complaints of abuse recently.
According to BMET officials, around 300 female workers have gone to Hong Kong so far.
The recent cases of abuse of domestic helpers caused a public outcry in the city, prompting Hong Kong’s Labour Department to take preventive measures.