Domestic workers practise the "patting" therapy.

Oxfam Hong Kong (OHK) has been collaborating with Beijing Hongyan Social Work Service Centre to provide support to domestic workers in Beijing’s Wangjing area. In 2023, we launched the "Green Domestic Worker Project". Through hotline consultations, group classes, and social activities, we aim to encourage domestic workers to take good care of their health and interpersonal relationships, thereby improving their quality of life and work.

In Mainland China, domestic workers are akin to foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong. They come from rural areas, supplementing the urban workforce and promoting urban development. However, due to the hard and long hours of labour, such as carrying children and doing cleaning work, they often suffer from chronic pain in the lower back, joints, and cervical vertebra.

Aunt He, a domestic worker, once couldn't walk down the steps of the subway station due to leg pain and had to wait for kind-hearted people to help her. Aunt Dongmei's cervical vertebra condition compressed her nerves, causing memory decline and frequent dizziness. Aunt Suqin, suffering from a meniscus injury, found it difficult to take care of children during work and couldn't squat down. Without medical insurance, domestic workers often rely on plasters and painkillers for relief and rarely seek medical treatment. The recovery process for chronic pain is slow, and as they age, the pain becomes a shadow over their lives, affecting their physical and mental health.

Oxfam Hong Kong’s Support for Domestic Workers

OHK and our partner organisation have been supporting domestic workers to improve their physical and mental wellbeing. We assist them in learning simple health-enhancing techniques such as meridian massage and Baduanjin. After participating in the project, Aunt Dongmei persisted in massaging her liver meridian, which helps improvei the nodules of her breast hyperplasia; Aunt He found a suitable moxibustion method, gradually relieving her rheumatic pain.

In the mental and physical health workshop organised by Hongyan Social Work Service Centre, domestic workers massage each other to alleviate pain.

Domestic workers also formed small groups to share experiences and support each other. Through self-observation, learning, sharing, and confiding, they found a way to achieve health and happiness. As Aunt Dongmei said, "When I take care of myself, I get one step closer to good health."

Through the "Green Domestic Worker" and other related projects, OHK and Hongyan have raised social awareness on the working conditions of domestic workers, established community concern groups on related issues, and enhanced their organisational capabilities. All these can help facilitate better public policy change for domestic workers.