Hate crime among the foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong

Definition of Hate Crime

- Offences that drive by hate or bias which aim to the victims identity in terms of his or her ethnic or race (Chakraborti & Garland 2015).

- Focus the conflicts happened in Hong Kong families with foreign domestic helpers

Conflict Theory

- According to Lilly (2001):

“Focus on struggles between individuals and groups in terms of power differentials fall into the general category of conflict theory”

Conflict Theory cont.

- Major: Power structure administers justice

(e.g. Laws, punishment….)

- Minor: Social class and gender

Conflict Theory cont.

- Arguments of Conflict Theory, Bohm (2001):

1. Not testable

2. Can not represent the individual differences

Lombroso's Theory of Crime- Criminal Man (1876/1911)

- Race → explaining crime

- “Negro” women and “Red Indian” → committing crime

- Discrimination

→ Feeling bad (Black, Indian)

Lombroso's Theory of Crime

Hate

Case Study

- Background history:

Foreign domestic helpers start imported from Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand since 1970s

- Case Study:

Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, a female indoesian. Who get abused by her employer, and finally reported her case while she is back to her home country.

Case Study cont.

- Brief Information of the Case:

Erwiana abused by her employer

Didnt reported to anyone, afraid to lose job

Did try to find agent for help, but got no response

Reported the case to the Hong Kong police by her family

Case Study cont.

- Laws:

Unfair between different identities, due to the law have given classfication on domestic helper, which labeled as low social satus, lead to social level differences:

Need to live with employers → Having a greater risk of abuse

Two weeks restriction → If got no employment, they get forced back

Case Study cont.

- Agents:

Discrimination of different race, did not give any helps to the domestic helper

Every domestic helper require to find employment via agents

Agencies keep their passport to prevent they ran away

To ensure agencies repayment, they insist their workers to withstand difficult circumstances

Case Study cont.

- Employer:

Feel themselves have higher level and power to control Erwiana’s freedom and rights because they think the “Maid” is a lower level occupation

The employer assume she have the “Control” of Erwiana

Difference in social status, Employer > Erwiana

ReferenceLiljas, P. (2015). Beaten and Exploited, Indonesian Maids Are Hong Kong’s ‘Modern-Day Slaves’ | TIME.com . [online] TIME.com. Available at: http://world.time.com/2014/01/15/beaten-and-exploited-indonesian-maids-are-hong-kongs-modern-day-slaves/ [Accessed 10 Sep. 2015].

South China Morning Post, (2015).Abused Hong Kong maid Erwiana files damages claim against jailed former employer . [online] Available at: http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1740163/abused-hong-kong-maid-erwiana-files-injuries-claim-against-jailed [Accessed 10 Sep. 2015].

Gabbidon, S. (2015). Theoretical Perspectives on Race and Crime [online] Available at: https://us.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/46957_CH_3.pdf [Accessed 10 Sep. 2015].

Charkraborti, N. and Garland, K. (2015). Hate Crime: Impact, Causes and Responses, London: SAGE Production Ltd.

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