Beyond the reach of ethics and equity? Depersonalisation and dehumanisation in foreign domestic helper narratives

Abstract

This paper analyses narratives told by foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) in a Hong Kong church shelter. The narratives provide evidence that FDHs appear to be untouched by the ethics and equity of Hong Kong society. They are denied the rights that apply to other groups: the right to eat, rest and talk; they are humiliated and denigrated, and the analyses show that this treatment may affect their self-perception. The paper considers local stereotypes and ideological representations as a possible cause for legitimising the exploitation of FDHs, and it recommends that researchers become engaged in social activism in the attempt to help FDHs rewrite their narratives of repression.

本文作者於教會收容所訪問了大量外籍家庭傭工, 他們的敍述

證實, 香港社會的道德標準及公正的氛圍並未觸及外籍傭工的生活狀況。

他們不僅無法像其他族群一樣, 享受飲食, 休息及談話這樣的基本人權

, 還要忍受著雇主的羞辱與誣衊。研究表明這樣的不公平待遇或影響外

籍傭工的自我認同。本文旨在論證本地偏見及意識形態表現在某種程度

上使剝削合理化, 並鼓勵更多研究者參與社會運動, 改善外傭

的生活狀況, 改寫他們的故事。

Keywords:

• narratives
• foreign domestic helpers
• depersonalisation and dehumanisation
• moral exclusion

Acknowledgements

The research reported in the paper was supported by a research grant from the University Grants Committee of Hong Kong. I wish to express my gratitude to the staff and volunteers at the Mission to Migrant Workers, St John's Cathedral, and at the Bethune House shelter for migrant women, in particular, Cynthia Tellez, Edwina Antonio, Juvy Bustamante and Sol Pillar. I am also grateful to Nicola Wong, Junius Santoso and Febby Melissa for their hard work with the transcription and translation of data. Last but not least, I wish to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to all the FDHs at Bethune House who willingly shared their stories with me and their friends. My admiration for them, for their courage and for the sacrifices they are making for their families, goes far beyond words.

Notes

1. All names of foreign domestic helpers used in this paper are pseudonyms.

2. The concept of depersonalisation has diverse meanings in the literature. In this paper, it is used to imply a milder form of dehumanisation. In his original account of depersonalisation and dehumanisation in intergroup communication, Tajfel (1981) suggested a continuum between the two concepts. Thus, depersonalisation implies that individuals are perceived as group members exclusively leading to loss of individuation and social alienation, and dehumanisation refers to the ultimate depersonalisation where group members are positioned as non-human, or as less than human, which justifies social exclusion.

3. The term ‘interviewer’ is used in want of a better term. The person who is in charge of a sharing session is not an interviewer in any traditional sense. One of the main objectives of the sharing session is to document the details of a particular case, which means s/he may ask many clarifying questions. Another main objective is to encourage the women to tell their stories, to offer support and advice, and to facilitate a process of empowerment.

4. FDHs in Hong Kong have to pay extortionate agency fees. Indonesian helpers currently pay about HK$21,000, while most Filipinas pay about HK$15,000. The agencies can only charge the helpers 10% of their first month's salary (presently about HK$380), so instead they demand the women attend compulsory training courses before they arrive in Hong Kong for which they have to pay huge fees. The training usually consists of hands-on exercises in mopping floors and doing the dishes, and might be followed by one to two months of ‘training’ in Hong Kong during which they do housework for the agent, or for his/her family – for free.