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Recently, the Hong Kong government try to reduce migrant domestic workers' salary. Migrant support organizations and the Migrant's Trade Union in Hong Kong made a statement against the government's policy and they also demand domestic workers to live away from their workplace under the agreement with their employers.
These workers experience many abuses, not only in Hong Kong, but also Malaysia and Singapore. Asian countries are traditionally the biggest employers of migrant domestic workers, but this trend is more recent in America. Many migrant domestic workers live abroad like slaves. They receive low wages, are subject to sexual harassment and their movements outside of the workplace are also controlled.
In the case of Korea, the situation of migrant women is different from other Asian countries' because the Korean government only allow migrant women to work in the manufacturing industry.
Nevertheless, it is easy to see that migrant women workers in Korea are also faced with violence and dangerous situations. There are many cases of these situations, such as the Uzbek woman trainee who was physically assaulted because she refused the sexual demands of her employer.
Present situation on migrant women workers in Korea

Women make up about 34.5% of the migrant workers who stay in Korea. In the case of Asian women, they occupy 38.9% of the number of women migrant workers. They come to Korea mainly from China (45.6% of all Chinese migrant workers), Mongolia (43.3%), Thailand (36.4%), the Philippines (34.0%), Vietnam (33.0%), and Indonesia (18.8%).
The type of work the do is divided into four sectors according to their industry, which are: the 'manufacturing industry', 'sex industry', 'service industry' and 'English teacher'. Most of the migrant women working in the manufacturing industry come from South-east Asia.
In the case of sex industry workers, most of these women come from the Philippines and Russia. Korean-Chinese women occupy the service industry.

Migrant women workers in the manufacturing industry
Migrant women workers in the manufacturing industry are mostly Chinese, especially Korean-Chinese, Chosunjoks, with 57,343. Philippi no women are next with 7,780, then the Vietnamese with 6,078, Mongols with 5,878 and Thais with 5,442.

Followings are the Problems of Migrant Women Workers in the Manufacturing Industry

▶Long working hours

Most migrant women workers work in boring and repetitive positions, with long working hours, in the textile, dress making and marine product industries. The textile industry sees women workers being demanded to work around 16 hours per day and even on holidays. Because many textile companies are operating 24 hours per day, migrant workers should be working there in two or three shifts.
According to a survey on migrant women workers' working conditions, conducted by the Korea Church Women United Counselling Centre for Migrant Female Workers in 1997, long working hours ranked as the one thing to cause the most suffering.
Under Joint Venture (TUJVs) and migrant women workers. We estimate there are numerous cases that we are unaware of.

▶Low wage

Many migrant women workers' wages are less than migrant male workers; even though these women have to pay higher fees than their male counterparts to obtain work in Korea.

▶Workplace sexual harassment

Sexual Harassment Prevention Law has been implemented since 2000, but most migrant women workers don't even know about its existence. There are some cases where drunken Korean male workers visit
the migrant women worker's dormitory with at night or touch migrant women worker's bodies during working hours.
Migrant women workers who experience this problem are physically and mentally troubled because they find it difficult to communicate their situation and to find a solution
There are many cases where women workers can't convey their problem to others, and have no choice to leave their workplace.

▶Health and medical services (Pregnancy etc.)

In the case of trainees, they are entitled to have periodic medical checkups but there is almost no company that allows trainees to have these checkups. Undocumented workers are entirely excluded from systemic medical services.

In the case of a female trainee's pregnancy, she is usually sent back to her country as soon as her company is aware of the situation. That is why many migrant women workers have abortions. Even if a pregnant woman does have an abortion, she must continue working through her convalescence. In this situation, women workers' health is further threatened.

Migrant women workers in the manufacturing industry are not guaranteed legal status as workers, but have been partly protected by the Korean Labour Standard Law under the regulation of the Ministry of Labour since 1995.
Therefore, migrant women's health and protection is not considered at all. According to the Korean Labour Standard Law, there should be regulated protection of women workers, but in reality, the law cannot protect migrant women workers.
The followings are the articles for protecting women workers under the Labour Standard Law:

Article 68 (Restriction on Night Work and Holiday Work)
(1) When an employer intends to have a female aged 18 or older work from 10 P.M. to 6 A.M and on a holiday, the employer shall obtain the consent of the female concerned.

Article 69 (Overtime Work)
An employer shall not have, a female with a child less than one year old, work overtime exceeding 2 hours per day, 6 hours per week, and 150 hours per year, even if provided for in a collective agreement.

Article 71 (Menstruation Leave)
An employer shall allow a female worker one day's menstruation leave with pay per month.

Migrant women workers are the most vulnerable group in our society. Migrant women workers need special supervision of their workplace. Women organizations and trade unions should listen to migrant women and form solidarity with them.
Lastly, more study and regard is needed for marginalized migrant women workers such as Korean-Chinese and sex industry workers.