Domestic helper abuse is rampant

Nannies face sexual harassment and withheld wages at hands of employers, nanny agencies

The housekeeping industry is a big business in Beijing. The Beijing Homemaking Service Association estimates there are almost 400,000 maids in Beijing, providing domestic help to more than a million families.

But many employers treat their nannies poorly. A report from the Migrant Women's Club, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to helping female migrant workers, said that in 2009 about 20 percent of female housekeepers in Beijing had suffered from sexual harassment, 20 percent were not paid on time and 90 percent had no social insurance.