Skip to content

Afraid and far from home

October 18, 2009

By pwrdf

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Voices of Hope Pew Bulletin Story
Hong Kong

The fear of discovering that you’re HIV-positive is tough enough, but when you add the fear of losing your job and the income lifeline for your family, many migrant workers decide that testing is not worth the risk. According to Elijah Fung, manager of the St. John’s HIV Education Centre at the Hong Kong Anglican Cathedral, migrants continue to lack the knowledge and an awareness of HIV; most are unable to access AIDSrelated services because of language and other barriers. This is a concern, as statistics show that migrant workers are at high risk of being infected with HIV and of passing it on when they return to their home countries. Hong Kong has a migrant-worker population of almost 250,000, of which nearly 220,000 are foreign domestic workers; 90 per cent of those are women. Every Sunday the Cathedral finds 15,000 migrant workers relegated to the streets outside their doorstep—domestic workers who are sent out from as early as 6 a.m. and told not to come back until after 10 p.m. by the families who employ them. For the last four years, to increase awareness of the dangers of HIV/AIDS, the St. John’s Centre has organized a daylong AIDS festival that brings together migrant workers from various countries. The event not only educates migrant workers about AIDS but also promotes other health issues. Church-to-church funding support for HIV/AIDS education is critical to the centre, because the government is concerned about losing face if they seek funding for HIV/AIDS. Afraid and far from home (PDF)

All News Posts

For media requests please contact Communications Coordinator Janice Biehn at (416) 924-9199;366.

Asia Pacific Stories

Canada Stories

Youth Stories