ABSTRACT
Indonesian migrant workers have been sent to several countries to fill the need for labour, especially in the domestic sector. Hong Kong is one of the countries to have received Indonesian Migrant Domestic Workers (IMDWs) since the early 1990s. In this paper, I will discuss recent conditions of IMDWs in Hong Kong along with their activities in advocating for their rights by the utilisation of communication technology. Hong Kong is a major receiving country for migrant workers, particularly women from South East Asia who work as domestic assistants or caregivers. Hong Kong’s economy, with its better working conditions and attractive salary, are magnets for migrant workers. It offers an opportunity for an improved financial future and for paid work that many women may not be able to obtain in their home country. Many migrant workers use communication technologies to contact their friends and families back home. These tools have succeeded in mediating migrant workers’ interactions across national boundaries and time. Scholars agree that utilisation of communication technologies by migrant workers has significantly increased their capability to access and share information with fellow migrants and their relatives back home. Not only that, IMDWs also utilise communication technologies for the purpose of migrant rights activism. I identify IMDWs’ activities in Hong Kong in relation to migrant rights activism and the utilisation of media and communication technology. The review provides a basis for further research into the discourse of IMDWs, their social conditions in Hong Kong, and their involvement in media activism.
