“Pangarap ko lang na hindi na kailangan ng Hong Kong ang Bethune House o ng iba pang shelter,” [My dream is that Hong Kong doesn’t need Bethune House or other shelters like us] says Edwina Antonio-Santoyo, executive director of Bethune House Migrant Women’s Refuge. 

Bethune House first opened in 1986 and has provided shelter for migrant worker women ever since. Almost all the women that approach the refuge have had their employment contracts terminated and have been told to leave their employer’s home immediately, leaving them to fend for themselves out in the streets, carrying all their belongings along with them. Bethune House supports these women by fulfilling their most basic need and human right to shelter. 

In her role as executive director, Edwina, who has worked at the shelter since its inception, has been outspoken about the plight of migrant domestic workers (MDWs) in Hong Kong. In her three decades of listening to their stories and caring for their mental and physical well-being, she has witnessed a wide range of cases and outcomes.

Some cases, although heart breaking, have ended on a hopeful note; some women leave without the justice they deserve; and some leave with enduring trauma as a result of their ordeal.

“We not only provide shelter and legal support, but we also offer a holistic approach. Mayroon kaming first-aid training, cooking and sewing lessons, computer literacy classes, at iba pang mga workshops na nagbibigay ng skills at kaalaman na madadala nila kapag mag-for good na sila,” [We offer first-aid training, cooking and sewing lessons, computer literacy classes, and many other workshops that give them skills and knowledge that they can use when they go back home for good] Edwina says.

During the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, the occupancy at Bethune House rose to three times their capacity. It was a dire situation; many MDWs who tested positive for COVID were left with nowhere to go, after being instantly terminated by their employers and forced to leave with immediate effect. 

As part of the MDW coalition – a group of around 14 different NGOs and migrant-focused organisations formed to tackle this issue – Bethune House, alongside several other NGOs, mobilised all their available resources to help these women.

“There were only three of us working at the shelter and we took very careful steps to make sure we were protected at all times as we couldn’t afford for any of us to get sick at that time,” Edwina shares of the experience. “We put on our PPE (personal protective equipment), diligently sanitised surfaces, and handed food to our COVID-positive guests through the windows of the shelter. It was a trying time, but I’m glad we made it through.”

Edwina says they were also inundated with donations of supplies and goods from the community and other supportive locals: “We would just post on our network that we needed more masks, or maybe more canned goods, and we would receive the help we needed swiftly. If it were not for the help of the community and a lot of support from good-hearted people, we would not have survived for 37 years.”

Bridging the cultural gap and appreciating the contribution of domestic workers in Hong Kong society are the first steps towards a more harmonious relationship between workers and their employers. “For employers to recognise and respect the role that domestic workers play would help improve the relationship between them,” says Edwina, “and would help not only us at Bethune House, but also a lot of other shelters around Hong Kong, to cease being a necessity.”