“That time I was so helpless [because of] the way [I was] treated by my employer; I feel like am really a slave,” says Rosalie, one of the many migrant domestic workers (MDWs) who have received assistance through Helpology. “I’m so lucky that Helpology and friends help[ed] me a lot.”

Founded in 2021 by lawyers wanting to give back to the community, Helpology’s mission is to provide free advice, education, and assistance on various legal issues to MDWs, ethnic minorities, and other vulnerable members of the population in Hong Kong, to ensure they receive fair and equal treatment before the law.

“We have done over 1,000 hours of pro-bono work since we started Helpology,” says Stephanie Chan, one of the founders of the organisation. “We offer a 24-hour WhatsApp hotline and a bi-weekly, in-person community legal clinic, where MDWs can book an appointment through our hotline.” 

These clinics have provided support in over 300 cases – most of them from the MDW community. Some migrant workers come to Hong Kong not knowing their rights or how to reach out for legal assistance. Navigating all the requirements, documents, rules, regulations, and laws around MDW employment can be daunting, even more so for individuals who are being exploited or abused by their employer. 

The first client that Stephanie and her team handled was Lerma. She was physically and verbally abused by her employer, who even went as far as calling the police on her. Lerma was scared, but she held her ground; she refused to sign any unjust documents her employer presented to her until she sought advice from Helpology. They helped her write a letter before action and a letter to the Immigration Department explaining her situation, calculated her termination entitlements, assisted in the mediation meeting with the Labour Relations Department, and pulled her out of the abusive situation with her employer.

Aside from providing legal assistance, Helpology also has an ambassador programme, where MDWs can join as community outreach volunteers, raising awareness amongst fellow workers about their rights, and advising how and where to seek legal assistance or counselling. Armed with their handbooks and knowledge, these ambassadors are on the pulse when it comes to identifying the hot issues within the community, proving an invaluable collaboration for Helpology. 

“It is important for us to have ambassadors that help us reach out to the community. We want to serve the migrant domestic workers more because they deserve it,” says Stephanie. “In the future, we want to offer workshops and maybe even health and fitness classes,” she adds.

Being a relatively young non-governmental organisation (NGO), they were on unsure footing in the beginning, with no full-time staff or permanent office space. But as their supporters grew, both within the MDW community and amongst other government and non-government organisations, they began seeing more impactful results.

Currently, Helpology have 8-10 lawyers who oversee cases and offer their services free of charge. Stephanie also emphasises the importance of meeting face-to-face to talk about the details of each case and go over the paperwork; it minimises misunderstandings and gives clients the opportunity to explain their situation more clearly. A Filipino speaker is onboard when needed to avoid misinterpretations.

“We want to make sure that every case gets the attention it needs, to provide high quality work, and make sure we oversee everything before we file it to the Labour tribunal or to the Hong Kong Immigration Department,” says Stephanie, highlighting the NGO’s commitment to upholding the law firm standards of each case.

Lerma’s testimonial likewise speaks of the hard work and dedication of the Helpology team: “Malaki pasasalamat ko po sa Helpology sa pagtulong nila sa akin at pag-alalay nila noong ako ay nagkaproblema sa amo ko, simula sa unang araw hanggang sa huli hindi nila ako pinabayaan.” (I owe a huge thanks to Helpology for the help and assistance they gave to me when I was having problems with my employer, from the first day until the end, they did not leave me.)