Pro-establishment lawmaker Regina Ip described Filipino domestic workers in the city as “sexual resources” for Westerners in an opinion piece that was published by Ming Pao and posted to her Facebook page and blog .
The claim, unsurprisingly, led to heavy criticism of the lawmaker, who belongs to the New People’s Party and is also the former secretary for security. She deleted the blog and Facebook posts soon after.
The article, published on Friday, is titled, “The suicide tragedy showcases an alternative domestic worker problem”.
She was referring to the alleged suicide of the 15-year old daughter of a British insurance executive and his former Filipino helper in Repulse Bay.
Ip said she believed that Filipino domestic workers were “sexually exploited” by Western expatriate men in Hong Kong.
The lawmaker wrote that during her term as secretary for security, she received complaints from female expats about their domestic workers seducing their husbands.
These complaints, she said, broke families apart and were beyond the government’s control.
She concluded by saying that female domestic workers have become what she called “sexual resources” for Western men in Hong Kong, an issue that she believes the media turns a blind eye to.
Pan-democrat lawmaker Claudia Mo slammed Ip’s comments as “blatantly racist” and has filed a complaint to the Equal Opportunities Commission, reports Apple Daily.
In response, Ip stressed she does not condone racism or label Asian domestic workers as prostitutes, and has apologised for the controversy.
Photo: Wrightbus via Flickr
Correction: This article originally stated Regina Ip is a member of the Civic Party. This is incorrect. She is a member of the New People’s Party.
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