Jackie’s Story
After terminating her employment contract, Jackie was accused of stealing by her former employer. As a result, she stayed at Bethune House for one year and a half until she received a verdict of innocence in August 2019.
Jackie worked from 7 am to 11 pm every day in her two months of employment. Similar to many abuse cases, her employer was not happy with Jackie taking even a moment of break. To afford the education of her children, Jackie tried her best to finish the two-year-long contract without any complaint. However, her silence pushed her into a suffocating condition and her employer always lashed out anger at her unwelcomely.
One night, she decided to put an end to the destructive employment relationship. Her employer refused to accept her termination letter. She ran away and sought help from her neighbour who helped her call 999 for police assistance. Accompanied back by the police at her employer's home she packed her luggage in the presence of her female employer. Jackie was immediately requested to pay one month wage in lieu of notice before she could leave the premises. Since, Jackie didn't have money as she was not paid her salary that month, her employer accompanied her to the bank to withdraw the money that night. She left her luggage unlocked when they went out of the house.
Before leaving the housing estate, she decided to show all her belongings to the police and the employer in case of further dispute. While the female employer was checking her belongings one by one in front of the police, the employer did not find anything, except when she pull down the zipper to expand the luggage, two rings were inserted in between. The police officers advised her not to touch the rings. She was accused of alleged theft after a cautioned statement was taken from her at the police station. No one knows exactly why the ring was in her luggage.
Since she had nowhere to stay, she was unable to bail herself out of jail. She ended up spending 40 days in Tai Lam Correctional Women Institution before reaching Bethune House which helped her in the application of bail. The domestic helper of her neighbour also kindly lent her a thousand dollars for bail. After that, she lived at the shelter until the resolution of her police and labor cases.
Living at Bethune House, she learnt skills related to childcare, elderly care and home safety which benefit her chance of future employment. Some student interns also visited and taught her and others to make handicrafts. As a Christian, she also attended a regular Interfaith reflections with other residents at the shelter.
Jackie was finally acquitted from the alleged theft and received the long-delayed salary. She is currently back in the Philippines staying with her children. Despite the unpleasant experience, she would like to work in Hong Kong again so that she can provide her children with material support and quality education.
Written by: Jade Yiu, Translation Student at City University of Hong Kong
