A year after arriving in Hong Kong in 2017, Filipino domestic helper Maria Nemy Lou Rocio took out a HK$25,000 (US$3,200) loan from a local bank to settle her family’s debts and provide for her three children at home.
The 44-year-old had learned from other domestic workers about how to apply for the loan but said it took more than a year to repay it. With a monthly salary of less than HK$5,000, she was left with little for herself and had to borrow from friends to cover her daily expenses in the…