The Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong confirmed that a Filipino domestic worker died on Monday after falling off a window she was cleaning.
Reports from Hong Kong media said that the 38-year-old Filipina allegedly fell from the 18th floor of an apartment building in Kowloon.
Philippine consul general Raly Tejada, quoted by ABS-CBN News, said Hong Kong police were investigating the incident, as the city’s laws ban employers from asking their household helpers to clean windows without adequate safety precautions.
“This is such a deplorable tragedy because the Hong Kong government itself has banned window cleaning since 2017, as they are aware that this is unsafe and very dangerous,” Tejada said.
The official said the Philippine consulate is “now coordinating with the Hong Kong government to investigate the incident.
“We are monitoring the police investigation closely to make sure that our fellow Filipino gets the justice she deserves,” Tejada said.
Tejada extended his condolences to the Filipina’s bereaved family, assuring them that they would get help from the Philippine government, ABS-CBN News further reported.
“My fellow Filipinos, let us be careful and refuse this kind of work as it is prohibited by Hong Kong law.”
The Philippine Consulate noted that under Hong Kong’s Standard Employment Contract, household helpers may only be asked to clean windows if it is “fitted with a grill which is locked or secured” and if “no part of the helper’s body extends beyond the window’s ledge, except the arms.”
In 2017, Hong Kong banned household workers from cleaning windows in high-rise buildings after domestic workers protested in streets following the death of at least five workers who were ordered to do the dangerous chore.
