My name is Fish Ip, and I'm the regional coordinator for Asia for the International Domestic Workers Federation. I used to be a union organiser for local and migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong, and in all I’ve worked with domestic workers for almost 20 years.
As the IDWF regional coordinator, we try as much as possible to assist our affiliate domestic workers, organisations, and unions. If they can form a union then we assist them in doing so, and then support them to organise and advocate to change the law.
In Asia, we still have a lot of challenges. Not all workers can form a union recognised by the government, and we still have not only labour exploitation but severe human rights exploitation – domestic workers being locked at home or being beaten up or raped, for example.
