Dedicated 24-hour hotline set up for foreign domestic helpers
2018-12-19
The Labour Department (LD) has set up a dedicated hotline to provide support for foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) starting from today (December 19). The hotline number is 2157 9537.
The hotline provides one-stop support services to FDHs, including:
(1) providing advice to FDHs on their employment rights and obligations under the Standard Employment Contract and relevant labour laws;
(2) referring any enquiries, requests for services or assistance and complaints on relevant labour matters, such as employment claims or complaints against employment agencies, to the relevant divisions of the LD for follow-up and/or investigation; and
(3) advising FDHs on the appropriate law enforcement agencies to which they can file enquiries, requests for services or assistance and complaints involving suspected exploitation or physical abuse.
The hotline is manned by operators of the 1823 hotline service who are conversant in Cantonese, English and Putonghua and which operates 24 hours a day. An interpretation service in seven languages (namely Tagalog, Bahasa Indonesia, Thai, Nepali, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu) is available from 8am to 10pm, Monday to Sunday (excluding public holidays).
Apart from calling the hotline, FDHs can also make enquiries about their employment matters in Hong Kong and file complaints when their employment rights are infringed through the dedicated FDH email account (fdh@labour.gov.hk) and the online form on the FDH Portal (www.fdh.labour.gov.hk) of the LD. To report a crime or during an emergency when one’s personal safety is at risk, the FDH should immediately call 999 for help.
