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Following is a question by Dr Hon Chiang Lai-wan and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, in the Legislative Council today (May 27):
Question:
At present, there are bilateral Working Holiday Scheme agreements entered between the Hong Kong Government and the governments of 10 countries, including Australia. It has been reported that the Australian Broadcasting Corporation recently broadcast a programme about the situation of foreign young people working in Australia on working holiday visas and uncovered that some young people had been grossly exploited by employers, e.g. by deduction of wages or provision of accommodation with appalling conditions, and some young women had even been sexually harassed. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it knows the respective numbers of working holiday visa applications made by young people of Hong Kong to the aforesaid countries in the past three years, with a breakdown by the job type of the short-term employment they intended to take up and country;
(2) whether the authorities received in the past three years requests for assistance from young people of Hong Kong working overseas on working holiday visas; if they did, provide a breakdown by the nature of such cases; whether the authorities followed up such cases; if they did, of the details;
(3) given the instances revealed in the aforesaid programme, whether the authorities will take the initiative to inquire into the situation of young people of Hong Kong working overseas on working holiday visas to find out whether they have been subjected to wage deductions, sexual harassment, etc.; whether the authorities will formulate measures to protect the safety of such young people; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4) whether the authorities will formulate guidelines to help young people intending to apply for working holiday visas understand and identify the backgrounds of overseas employers so as to avoid being exploited; if they will, of the details?
Reply :
President,
My reply to the question of Dr Hon Chiang Lai-wan is as follows:
(1) Based on the information provided by the governments of Working Holiday Scheme (WHS) partner economies, a breakdown of the number of Hong Kong youths that were granted working holiday visas in the past three years is set out at Annex. The governments of partner economies did not provide the types of employment engaged by these working holidaymakers.
(2) The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government does not keep the requested breakdowns.
(3) and (4) The HKSAR Government has been promoting WHS in different government organisations, public places and tertiary institutions through various channels, including organising talks, setting up webpages and distributing publicity materials (e.g. posters, pamphlets, postcards, etc.).
When promoting WHS, the HKSAR Government has reminded participants to raise their safety awareness abroad, for instance, by taking out medical insurance and abiding by local laws, etc. Participants have also been reminded that for good preparation they should, before their departure, acquire a better understanding of their destinations (including employment situation and living condition) by visiting webpages of destination governments and their consulates in Hong Kong and dedicated WHS webpages set up by the HKSAR Government, as well as by consulting friends who have participated in WHS previously.
If WHS participants encounter, amongst others, employment or personal/property safety issues overseas, they should contact the local government authorities for assistance as soon as practicable. In case of accidents or serious incidents, WHS participants can, in addition to approaching the local government authorities for assistance, approach the relevant Chinese Embassies/Consulates for assistance, or call the 24-hour hotline of the Assistance to Hong Kong Residents Unit (AHU) of the Immigration Department at (852)1868. The Chinese Embassies/Consulates concerned and AHU will provide suitable assistance according to the circumstances of the case (such as re-issuing travel documents, contacting families, referring the case to local lawyers, doctors or interpreters and liaising with the local authorities, etc.). AHU will endeavour to coordinate and follow up the case, including contacting the relevant governments and their consulates in Hong Kong where necessary.
Ends/Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Issued at HKT 12:30
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