So to summarise your argument: helpers are ill-educated and come from poor countries. They are not capable of making their own financial decisions, so caring employers should hold their passports for safekeeping.
Do you think we should perhaps make them wear something distinctive, so we can identify this underclass? Maybe a yellow star sewn onto their clothing would be suitable?
I'm pretty sure you're trolling, so no more bait from me. Back under your bridge
And sadly I just saw this on SCMP. I don't hold my helpers passport, but if their was a way I thought I could protect her, I would.
‘Life plans on hold, no money to send home’: Indonesian domestic helpers in Hong Kong fall prey to alleged pyramid scam | South China Morning Post
No.
On the scam, millions of people get caught in scams should we hold all their passports?
You are deliberately mixing two situations. Keeping the passport somewhere safe at the helper's request is fine. That is not what is being talked about here though. Keeping the passport not at the helper's request is theft.
How about if it was their money? Clearly they can't be trusted with money.
I believe for it to be Theft you'd need to have intent to never return the camera. I assume your example would simply be a case for a civil court if you want your camera back or compensation...Original Post Deleted
I really have no idea.
For reference:
http://www.legislation.gov.hk/blis_pdf.nsf/6799165D2FEE3FA94825755E0033E532/AC628B0C8930CE4F482575EE004D2B22/$FILE/CAP_210_e_b5.pdf
Sounds as if it depends on the case and comes down to the situation and intent.
The problem in HK is that laws are often not enforced. As said, I reported a case about my helper and a dozen more passports and they didn't seem to care... months after making a written report, the only questions ever asked were "what nationality are you?" (stupid question, it was in the first sentence of my written report, and I am a HKPR anyway) and "what nationality is your helper?". And that was the end of it.
So I am definitely surprised to read this and will ask my helper if her acquaintances got their passports back in the meantime but I assume she would have told me (it was 2012 or 2013).
N.B. But the big crime (in my opinion) in my reported case was not only keeping their passport, but also charging them a lot more ($9,000 in the case of our helper), instead of the $3xx they are allowed to. The passport was used to make them pay.10. The Administration further advised that an EA or any other person withholding a FDH's passport without the latter's consent would have committed an offence under the Theft Ordinance (Cap. 210). Whenever such malpractice was detected by officers of EAA during their inspections to EAs, they would take appropriate enforcement action and refer the case to the Hong Kong Police Force for follow-up. EAA, the Police and ImmD would regularly conduct joint operations to ensure that EAs were operating in compliance with the law.
Last edited by 100LL; 05-09-2016 at 08:04 AM.
I'd have to Google it but I remember reading that the majority of households with FDH have children in them. Local families tend to have both parents working compared to expats where there's more often a stay at home trailing spouse.Original Post Deleted
Presumably you don't have a helper because your wife doesn't work. I'm a working mom, no grandparents locally, so helper is my only choice. Before we had our kid we had a once a week cleaner. None of my colleagues without kids have helpers either.