With fewer public spaces for Hong Kong’s helpers, where can they go to unwind?

On a recent stormy Sunday, domestic helpers on their weekly day off were seen hastily erecting tents and laying out plastic sheets under footbridges and inside transport hubs in Hong Kong’s Tsuen Wan district as they sought refuge from the downpour.

Dozens of tents were pitched around the pillars of the footbridges, while other groups crowded onto narrow concrete platforms inside a bus terminus. Many leaned against metal railings or sat on the ground, laying down blankets and carving out spaces away from the rain.

Once sheltered from the weather, the mix of Filipinos and Indonesians – the city’s two main nationalities among helpers – spent the rest of their day as usual sharing home-cooked food, chatting and resting.

Among the hundreds who had gathered was Filipino helper Jenny Lisa, who said she met her friends inside the terminus after attending Mass at the nearby Church of the Annunciation. The 34-year-old said she was willing to brave the heavy rain to enjoy her one day off each week.

“I know some helpers do not get enough sleep at home, so they rest outside. For me, I have my own room, but I still choose to go out to breathe fresh air and avoid staying with my employers,” she said.

Nearby, a 43-year-old helper who gave her name as “Gem” said she was there for a different reason. She shared a bedroom with her employer’s children and could not rest until they went to sleep, so she needed respite on her day off.

Earlier this year, she said, a neighbourhood resident had complained to police, prompting officers to disperse the crowd.