Indonesian migrant workers activism in Hong Kong
Keywords:
Indonesian Migrant Workers, Migrant Workers Movement, JBMI, Collective Actions, Hong Kong’s Politics
Abstract
Aim: The article explains why the Indonesian Migrant Workers Alliance (JBMI) has a chance of succeeding in Hong Kong. The JBMI is intriguing because it is the largest alliance of Indonesian migrant workers and consists of a confederation of separate organizations speaking with one voice.
Method: Methodologically, this study employs a qualitative strategy predicated on primer data. Primary data was gathered through in-depth interviews with a sample of politically active Indonesian migrant workers. Using the theory of political opportunity structures, this article explains why JBMI can thrive in Hong Kong.
Findings: Two factors make Hong Kong an ideal setting for the growth of JBMI: (1) the hybrid regime’s characteristics allow for collective actions by creating expansive political spaces for migrant workers, and (2) Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong have the awareness necessary to effectively manage the city’s resources.
Implications/Novel Contribution: This research hopes to add to what is already known about Indonesian migrant workers, especially in the self-organizing migrants’ movement. We hope to demonstrate the strength of vulnerable migrant domestic workers through this study.
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Yip, P. (2014). Hong kong must address the social costs of hiring domestic helpers. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2yFrJ1j (accessed on 14 November 2017)
Zarempka, J. (2000). Modern slavery: Abuse of domestic workers. Off Our Backs, 30(7), 12-19.
Albert, E. (2018). Democracy in Hong Kong. Retrieved from https://on.cfr.org/2tZe7dj (accessed on 23 April 2018)
Amnesty International. (2014). Policies relating to foreign domestic helpers and regulation of employment agencies. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2Th0QZU (accessed on 23 July, 2018)
Asato, W. (2004). Negotiating spaces in the labor market: Foreign and local domestic workers in hong kong. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 13(2), 255-274. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/011719680401300206
ATKI. (2018). Hari perempuan internasional 2018. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2K6o5BZ (accessed on 23 June 2018)
Bal, C. S. (2016). Production politics and migrant labour regimes. New York, NY: Springer.
Central Intelligence Agency. (2018). The world factbook: Hong Kong. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/RhKQ9i (accessed on 23 June 2018)
Constable, N. (2007). Maid to order in Hong Kong: Stories of migrant workers. New York, NY: Cornell University Press.
Constable, N. (2009). Migrant workers and the many states of protest in Hong Kong. Critical Asian Studies, 41(1), 143-164. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/14672710802631202
Fong, B. C. H. (2017). One country, two nationalisms: Center-periphery relations between Mainland China and Hong Kong, 1997–2016. Modern China, 43(5), 523-556. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0097700417691470
Hsia, H.-C. (2009). The making of a transnational grassroots migrant movement: A case study of Hong Kong’s Asian MigrantsâA ̆ Z coordinating body. ́ Critical Asian Studies, 41(1), 113-141. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/14672710802631186
International Labour Organization. (2007). Underpayment 2: The continuing systematic extortion of Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong: An in-depth study. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2PsetGR (aacessed on 13 July, 2017)
International Labour Organization. (2018). What is forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2RkUFCr (accessed on 2 April 2018)
International Muslim Women Union. (2017). Petisi. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2SupKou (accessed on 23 July 2018)
International Organization for Migration. (2010). Labour migration from Indonesia âA ̧S An Overview of Indonesian Migration to Selected Destinations in Asia and the Middle East. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2EP9ATY (accessed on 24 July 2016)
Justice Centre. (2016). Coming clean: The prevalence of forced labour and human trafficking for the purpose of forced labour amongst migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2RiPa7e (accessed on 3 April 2016)
Lam, J. (2015). Reform regulation of domestic helpers to protect them from abuse, rights group urges. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/17Y7go4 (accessed on 3 March 2017)
Lopez-Wui, M. G., & Delias, D. (2015). Filipino domestic workers rights and welfare: Discursive framings by NGOs in Hong Kong and the Philippines. Philippine Sociological Review, 36(2), 7-31. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/01154451.2015.1085677
Melucci, A. (1996). Challenging codes: Collective action in the information age. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Menegatti, E. (2016). Protecting migrant domestic workers: The international legal framework at a glance. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2OSZ5nn (accessed on 13 April, 2018)
Ngok, M. (2008). Civil society and democratization in Hong Kong paradox and duality. Taiwan Journal of Democracy, 4(2), 156-170.
Piper, N. (2006). Migrant worker activism in Singapore and Malaysia: Freedom of association and the role of the state. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 15(3), 359-380. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/011719680601500304
Piper, N. (2015). Democratising migration from the bottom up: The rise of the global migrant rights movement. Globalizations, 12(5), 788-802. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/14747731.2015.1024454
Sim, A. (2003). Organising discontent: NGOs for Southeast Asian Migrant Workers in Hong Kong. Asian Journal of Social Science, 31(3), 478-510. doi:https://doi.org/10.1163/156853103322895351
The Government of Hong Kong. (2012). The basic law full text: Chapter iii. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2yCtwDZ (accessed on 23 June 2014)
The Government of Hong Kong. (2017). Labour department: The government of the Hong Kong special administrative region. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2Q3jbYH (accessed on 13 August 2017)
Tilly, C., & Tarrow, S. G. (2015). Contentious politics. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Williams, C. P., & Widodo, A. (2009). Circulation, encounters and transformation: Indonesian female migrants. Asian and Pacific migration journal, 18(1), 123-142. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/011719680901800106
Yeung, R. (2017). Plug hong kongâA ̆Zs legal loopholes on human trafficking and forced labour, legislator tells ́ officials. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2yEiGO1 (Accessed on 4 October 2017)
Yip, P. (2014). Hong kong must address the social costs of hiring domestic helpers. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2yFrJ1j (accessed on 14 November 2017)
Zarempka, J. (2000). Modern slavery: Abuse of domestic workers. Off Our Backs, 30(7), 12-19.
Published
2018-06-18
Section
Articles
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
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