Sadly it seems Hong Kong is involved in a mud-slinging campaign against Filipina domestic workers. The tap of vilification has been turned on full blast and we must expect a flood of lurid accounts of broken homes and broken hearts. However it would be wrong if, as a foreign minority, all Filipinas were tarred with the same brush. The fact is that but for Filipina domestic workers (and, more recently, Indonesian maids), the rights that our women now enjoy might have taken much longer to be established here.

Hopefully clearer heads in the community will see the situation in its true perspective. Regrettably a small minority of domestic helpers have indeed been involved in tacky affairs with their mistresses' husbands, leading to painful break-ups that are especially hurtful when an expat's wife is forced to pack her bags and return to her homeland to face a bleak future.

But is not the adulterous husband the main cause of these situations? Almost certainly it was he who made the first move, tempting a comely but young, immature and very likely homesick domestic helper to begin an affair driven by his desires. It usually starts with schemes to stage their trysts in sleazy hotels or boarding houses. At the outset the girl has no idea what she is about to get involved in. She is contracted to perform domestic duties for her employers, and will be provided living quarters in that home. Everything else about Hong Kong - and her employers - is new to her.

Yet suddenly when out of the hearing of other family members she finds herself receiving meaningful glances and hearing suggestive remarks from her boss. It is not a fair contest - a newly arrived young girl still trying to find her way in her new city being tempted by a smooth-talking employer who baits his hook with tempting rewards and alluring suggestions aimed at turning her head.

If we accept that the prime-movers in these affairs are duplicitous husbands, why is it that they aren't the main target of all the mud-slinging that is taking place? Then there is the question of whether the husband has always been a faithful partner, or is one of those lascivious punters always looking for some "action" on overseas business trips.

They act on the principle that, regarding the wives they are cheating on, "what the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve". This, of course, is nothing but a slimy excuse to soothe the conscience of a guy who is a born two-timer. Not only that, he no doubt implicitly trusts that his wife will continue to honor her vows to him, as she has done throughout their marriage.

Many such men of double standards and flexible principles gradually climb the corporate ladder and the money starts rolling in. It somehow leads them to start thinking that success gives them an entitlement to "have a bit of fun". Additionally, since they're in their 50s or 60s they probably fear their sexual prowess will soon begin to wane.

Agreed, those women who betray their mistresses no doubt include an unprincipled proportion of devious schemers only too ready to indulge in affairs, always hiding the truth about their own character - especially a baby or two left in the care of their mothers. Others may have simply wanted to find a rich old sucker, and squeeze him for all they can get. But whether sly schemers or women involved willy-nilly in affairs that would implode with devastating results, they carry a lighter burden of guilt than their seducers.

Furthermore, the overwhelming majority of Filipina domestics here proved to be hard-working helpers who made a positive contribution to the families of their employers going back 40 years.

In fact the advent of the Filipina era played an important part in Hong Kong's changing social values of the 1970s. This was the beginning of our economic boom, when there were opportunities for young wives to join the workforce provided they could find helpers to do the cooking and housework and, most importantly, care for their young children. The Filipinas filled that need, helping large numbers of families gain a better life.

These were the "bad old days" for women in Hong Kong when laws and attitudes condoned male dominance. Nobody raised an eyebrow if prosperous businessmen had a first wife plus up to four concubines. This, in fact, was an accepted practice - and a sign of success - in the old China. The baby amah faced a never-ending task of coping with one newborn after the next.

Society accepted that young girls doing the hardest work in the kitchen were virtual slaves called 'Mui Tsai" brought over the border and smuggled in for a life of misery. In the New Territories women faced another grossly unfair handicap that the Heung Yee Kuk opposed until 1994. Until then, women living on the land with their husbands were not able to inherit the holding following their husband's demise.

And it was the advent of the Filipina era that helped bring about the end of this unfair system of female exploitation in and to finally establish female rights for Hong Kong's women.

The author has lived in the Philippines for over 12 years. He is a former journalist and HKSAR civil servant.

(HK Edition 05/04/2015 page1)