Labour Sunday 2026: Migrant Workers: Our Neighbours?

香港基督教工業委員會
Jun 4
15 min read

Biblica Texts: Deuteronomy 24:14–15; Ruth 2:1–23

May 3, 2026

Migrant Workers in Ancient Israel

Before entering the land of Canaan, the community of Israel was already a gathering of different peoples. The Book of Judges records how different groups mistreated and fought against one another. When they entered Canaan, they arrived as migrants in a land where other peoples had already lived. In the ancient Near East, for various reasons, such as famine, war, job opportunity or search for protection, individuals and even entire communities often moved from place to place. When Isreal, the northern kingdom, was destroyed by the Assyrian Empire in 722 BCE, large numbers of Israelites from the north fled into the southern kingdom, Judah. Thus, the ancient Israelite community continually lived alongside different "foreign peoples" (or "resident aliens").

In the Old Testament, several terms are used to describe "foreigners"[1]. Biblical scholars generally agree that it is difficult to draw precise distinctions between these terms. Regardless of which word is used, they all refer to people who have left their own original community to live in the land of Israel. Having migrated into Israel, they were cut from the protection of their original community[2]. These "foreigners" can be divided into two types: first, those who had a kinship connection with the Israelite people but had left the land of Israel for a time and then returned; second, those who were from other ethnic groups and had no kinship ties with Israel at all[3]. If we take the two main figures in the Book of Ruth as examples, Naomi belongs to the first type—she had a kinship connection with Israel. Ruth, however, appears to belong to the second type. Even though Ruth was a Moabite woman married to an Israelite who had lived outside the land, she clearly still considered herself an "outsider" and did not regard herself as part of the Israelite community (Ruth 2:10).

Such "foreigners" were often employed by Israelites to work, usually on a daily wage basis (Deu 24:14–15; Lev 19:13). A small number might have enjoyed more stable income, renewing their employment relationship with their master each year (Lev 25:53). But in the land of Israel, the vast majority of foreigners were temporary day labourers, doing very difficult work (Isa 58:3), or working as casual hands during busy seasons of planting and harvest (see Ruth 2:19–21; Matt 20:1–16).

Hired foreign workers’ hard work, however, did not guarantee fair reward. Their wages could be withheld, they could be beaten, and employers would oppress them through lawsuits (Isa 58:3–4). In today's terms, employers used legal means to cheat and oppress migrant workers. The workers were alone in the strange lands without protection, without legal knowledge and without money to pursue legal action and would finally have no choice but to endure the oppression in silence.

In 2014, an Indonesian domestic worker named Erwiana worked in Hong Kong for only eight months. During that time, she was repeatedly beaten by her employer with coat hangers and wooden sticks, slapped, had her hair pulled, was forced to be naked, and had her wages withheld. She suffered injuries all over her body and was eventually dismissed. She could only endure it all in silence[4]. This case is only the tip of the iceberg. In 2024 alone, the police arrested 41 employers for violent or sexual abuse of foreign domestic workers—and many more cases were never reported[5].

Today, there are approximately 167 million migrant workers in the world, accounting for 4.7% of the global workforce. Of these, 38.7% are women—about 65 million people. It is estimated that one in three female migrant workers (nearly 22 million women) suffers from some form of physical or sexual abuse[6].

Sexual Abuse: The Nightmare of Female Migrant Workers

In chapter 2 of the Book of Ruth, Ruth always saw herself as a foreigner in the community of Israel, a worker labouring in the fields (Ruth 2:10, 19, 23). She was a migrant worker during the barley harvest, likely a casual day labourer. But unlike the situation described in Deuteronomy 24:19–21, where Israelites were commanded to deliberately leave behind some of the harvest for orphans, widows, and resident aliens, Ruth was not that kind of resident alien receiving charity. Rather, she was a migrant worker who truly supported herself and her family through her own labour. At the end of the day, the text does not say whether she received wages, but at least she received food as her reward—not only for herself but also to sustain her mother-in-law, Naomi (Ruth 2:14–18). Moreover, throughout the entire harvest season, Ruth continued to work in the same place, for the same employer, under the same supervisor (Ruth 2:21–23).

Yet during her work, her employer Boaz seemed deeply concerned about Ruth's safety as a foreign woman. Boaz instructed Ruth not to run about but to stay close to his female servants. Even for drinking water, she was to stay with his workers. Clearly, he was worried about Ruth's safety. Boaz also commanded his men not to " bother" Ruth (Ruth 2:9, NRSV), and later reminded them again not to "reproach" her (Ruth 2:15, NRSV). The word, "bother", carries the meaning of sexual abuse[7].

Later, when Naomi asked Ruth about her morning's work, she specifically inquired who had protected her. After learning of Boaz's care for Ruth, Naomi advised her: "It is better, my daughter, that you go out with his young women; otherwise, you might be “bothered” in another field" (Ruth 2:22, NRSV). It seems that in Israel at that time, foreign women frequently encountered sexual abuse. Sexual violence is the nightmare of female migrant workers all over the world regardless time and place.

According to a United Nations report in 2025, female migrant workers in different regions face various forms and degrees of violence, including sexual violence and psychological harm. A 2024 report from central Thailand and Myanmar shockingly revealed that about 60% of female migrant workers said they had experienced some form of violence in the preceding 12 months[8].

In Hong Kong, the most recent large-scale survey on sexual abuse of migrant workers is the Equal Opportunities Commission's report on foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong in 2014, a survey conducted over ten years ago. The survey found that among approximately 1,000 domestic worker respondents, 6.5% reported having experienced sexual harassment at work or in work-related situations during the 12 months before the survey. These experiences included verbal/written/electronic sexual harassment (44%), non-verbal sexual innuendo (17%), hostile environment (17%), and physical contact (14%). Specific examples included "inappropriate leering or staring" (14%), "sexual comments/jokes/name-calling" (13%), and "questions about sex life/appearance that intrude on privacy and cause offence" (12%). The survey also recorded four cases of "rape/sexual assault or attempted rape/sexual assault"[9].

Sexual abuse causes tremendous harm to victims. They often do not know how to speak about it, and many will not—or dare not—report it to the police. According to research by RainLily, the reporting rate for sexual assault cases has declined: from 56.8% between 2009 and 2013, down to only 41.4% between 2019 and 2023[10]. We can assume that the rate of police reporting among migrant workers in Hong Kong is similar, if not lower. Yet after physical or sexual abuse, migrant workers face even greater pressure, because if they report to the police, they immediately lose their job and face deportation back to their home country within two weeks. Many workers are the main financial providers for their families, or have incurred huge debts to come to Hong Kong. Without work, they cannot repay those debts, and ultimately their families will suffer as well.

When violence or even sexual abuse occurs, many migrant workers turn to their employment agency for help, hoping to change employers immediately and leave their abuser. But what they receive is disappointment—the agency only cares about its agency fees. In February 2019, a 24-year-old Indonesian domestic worker was raped by her male employer in Yuen Long. She sought help from her agency, but the agency told her she had to complete her contract before changing employers; otherwise, she would be sent back to Indonesia. Later, she discovered she was pregnant. The female employer threatened that if she did not have an abortion, she would be sent back to Indonesia.

Another 25-year-old Indonesian domestic worker reported being beaten and sexually abused by her employer. She said she worked more than 17 hours each day. The female employer pulled at her clothes and hit her head. Later, when the male employer tried to comfort her, he took the opportunity to kiss her, hug her, and touch her buttocks. In April 2021, she decided to seek help from her agency and request a new employer. But the agency told her that because she had not yet paid off her agency fees, she would have to return to Indonesia first before she could change employers. Left with no choice, the domestic worker accepted the agency's suggestion to mediate with the male employer. She promised not to let the female employer know and to delete video evidence of the sexual assault. The male employer promised not to abuse her again. But two months later, he assaulted her once more[11].

Difficulties Facing Care Workers in Residential Homes

Since 2024, the Hong Kong Christian Industrial Committee (HKCIC) has begun a new service focusing on the rights and well-being of care workers in residential homes. Apart from foreign domestic workers, care workers are arguably the largest group of migrant labourers being continuously brought into Hong Kong. In private residential care homes, nearly all of these care workers are middle-aged women from mainland China. Since June 2023, the government has also allowed government-subvented residential care homes to recruit care workers from mainland China. By 2027, it is estimated that among the 19,000 care worker positions in residential homes (including both government-subvented and private homes), mainland Chinese workers will account for approximately 15,000—more than 75%[12].

Care workers are responsible for looking after the frail elderly residents, performing the most intimate care and the most disgusting tasks—including feeding, bathing, and changing diapers. Among these basic care duties are numerous manual handling operation with high risk of injury at work (hoisting and transferring residents), as well as various trivial tasks (such as cutting nails, pouring water) and emergency support (such as accompanying residents to hospital). In this line of work—disgusting yet prone to injury—workers also face all kinds of sexual harassment. Examples include sexually suggestive remarks or "jokes" in homes, male residents exposing their genitals under the pretence of physical discomfort, male residents demanding that workers touch their genitals during bathing, and unwanted groping or physical contact by male residents or their visitors. These experiences are even more repulsive to workers than "dealing with faeces and urine."

Care work not only puts workers at high risk of injury; it can also easily lead to injury of frail residents, which may in turn result in criminal prosecution against the worker. At that point, a migrant worker falls into a state of absolute helplessness, not knowing how to seek legal support. Apart from pleading guilty, they often do not know what else to do.

In 2022, a 66-year-old local experienced care worker in a private elderly home was changing the diaper of an 80-year-old resident with cognitive impairment. Later, other care workers discovered that the elderly resident had suffered a femoral fracture. After the police arrived and gathered evidence, they arrested the care worker and charged her with "wounding with intent." This offence typically carries a sentence of years of imprisonment, in the most serious cases, life imprisonment. The case went to trial in 2024. HKCIC staff found this worker in court. Since her arrest in 2022, she had spent two years in confusion, helplessness, and extreme anxiety. She had developed various symptoms of emotional disorders, which grew increasingly severe. She required long-term medication and her health had deteriorated significantly. HKCIC staff explained the court procedures and legal matters to her, including organising documents, accompanying her to the police station for reporting formalities, writing a plea of mitigation to the court, and preparing for the possibility of imprisonment. In the end, the worker was convicted of the less severe offence of "inflicting grievous bodily harm" rather than the more serious "wounding with intent." She was sentenced to 160 hours of community service. Given the circumstances, this was a fortunate outcome in the midst of misfortune.

If a local worker can be so helpless when facing legal proceedings, how much more so for a migrant worker? If an employer deliberately uses legal means to oppress a worker, what can that worker do other than abandon their own rights? This tragedy also reflects Hong Kong's broader elderly care problem: residential homes have been chronically understaffed, and frontline workers lack support. Punishing one frontline worker does not prevent such tragedies from happening again.

Our Forebears were Migrants

The Law (Torah) in the Hebrew Bible show concern about labourers in the land of Israel, including migrant workers, ensuring that they receive their daily wages on time (Deu 24:14–15; Lev 19:13). Livelihood and economic necessity remain the most important reasons why all migrant workers leave their homes and go to work in other places—whether in ancient Israel or in today's world. The Book of Ruth focuses on the safety of migrant workers, especially female migrant workers, protecting them from physical harm and sexual abuse. But Torah has another concern as well. Deuteronomy 24:19–21 commands the Israelites, during the harvest, to deliberately leave behind some of the produce for orphans, widows, and resident aliens. Although this is an act of kindness—neither compulsory nor quantified—it can be seen as a simple and immature form of what we today call unemployment protection, social security, or subsistence guarantees (such as the minimum living guarantee in mainland China). In modern terms, this is an infant stage of social protection.

The International Labour Organization points out that while more than half of the world's population enjoys at least one form of social protection, 3.8 billion people still have no social protection at all. Migrant workers are among the most disadvantaged and vulnerable in this regard. A large number of migrant domestic workers and agricultural workers cannot access any social protection. Rapid global climate change has also brought more possible injuries and illnesses to workers—such as those caused by extreme heat, typhoons, and heavy rain[13]. In Hong Kong, migrant workers by law can enjoy work injury and pregnancy protection, while most medical security are covered by public hospital services. But whether workers can actually access such protection when they fall ill or are injured at work is another matter. Many migrant workers, once they suffer a work injury, are sent out of Hong Kong by their employers. As for pregnancy, employers will try all means to dismiss them.

The Book of Deuteronomy takes an inclusive attitude toward foreigners[14]. Most importantly, Deuteronomy links Israel's inclusion of outsiders to the relationship between the Lord and Israel, reminding the Israelites that their ancestors were once slaves in the land of Egypt and endured hardship there (Deu 24:18, 22). Because they themselves once suffered, the Israelites should also show mercy to those who are unfortunate—and the resident alien is among them.

The Exodus experience not only reminds Isreal of its own history of suffering; it also reminds them that they were not the original inhabitants of the land of Canaan. Their forefathers merely "migrated" to Canaan. By nature, they were “migrants”. To the original inhabitants of Canaan, the Israelites were "foreigners"[15]. When the Israelites entered the land of Canaan, there were at least three kinds of communities: the Israelites (migrants), the peoples already living in Canaan, and the various peoples continually migrating into Canaan from other places. The Israelites were, in fact, a “settler colonial society”[16].

All three of these communities were themselves multi-ethnic. The Israelites alone were divided into twelve tribes. The inhabitants of Canaan were an even more diverse mix of peoples (as seen in the Book of Judges). And the people constantly flowing into Canaan likely came from many different ethnic groups. Thus, the land of Canaan was itself a "region of migrants"—much like the United States, Canada, Australia, and other nations today, which have been "immigrant nations" from their very beginnings, where many races and ethnicities live together. Hong Kong, since its beginning, has also been a "migrant city." Most of our forebears came to Hong Kong from mainland China.

This identity as "migrants" reminds every generation of Israel to treat foreigners well, because all of them were once "foreigners" in the land of Israel. As time passes, all "foreigners" become "inhabitants". This is the vision expressed in Isaiah 56:1–8. But for Hong Kong, this has long since been our reality.

Labour Sunday Prayer 2026

Leader: O Lord, you are the Lord of Nations.

You commanded Israel to treat foreigners well, including the migrant workers who laboured in the land of Israel—because Israel itself had suffered in Egypt, and because your people were themselves migrants who came to dwell in Canaan. Hong Kong, too, is a city of migrants. Open our eyes, we pray, to see the suffering of foreigners and migrant workers, and help us to support and help them.