Hong Kong - A crowdfunding campaign for a Filipino domestic worker reportedly fired after she was diagnosed with cervical cancer had raised over 735 000 Hong Kong dollars (about R1.3million) by Monday morning.
The domestic worker, named as Baby Jane Allas on her GoGetFunding page, was diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer in the middle of February and was shortly afterwards fired by her employer in Hong Kong, according to the fundraising page.
Allas is no longer entitled to government medical care following her termination, and is currently staying with her sister's employer, Jessica Papadopoulos.
According to the fundraising page, before being fired Allas was regularly denied adequate food by her employer and had lost 16 kilogrammes since arriving in Hong Kong in 2017.
Papadopoulos started the campaign on Allas's behalf and is helping her coordinate medical treatment in Hong Kong, some of which will be given on a pro bono basis.
Allas is pursuing legal action against her employer through Hong Kong's labour department.
Hong Kong relied on the work of over 369 000 domestic "helpers," primarily women from the Philippines and Indonesia, in 2017 to work in the home and care for children and elderly family members, according to census data.
Legally required to live with their employer, cases of abuse are not uncommon and can range from physical and verbal attacks to food and sleep deprivation.
Many workers often live in converted closets, children's rooms, or cubbies in a city renowned for minuscule though expensive apartments.