4
5
-IO-
the Committee's use of the word "Sale",and think thatthe
"Adoption" complex will confuse the issue.
The basic
idea is "Female Domestic Service"- the words, that is to say-
of the Ordinance on the subject. There can be no sale of
a free person. Without doubt, there is a monetary consider-
-ation when the child is passed over by its her parents:
this is the "payment" mentioned in the lagal definition of a mui-tsai (vide supra); but it is not a purchase price
because there is no sale. In Hong Kong, under the law,
a shild can be restored to her parents without any question
of re-payment.
The Committee is of opinion that there is an
On this point there
urgent necessity for a fill enquiry.
can be no doubt. I suggest, however, that the investigation
be on broader lines than those contemplated by the Committee,
and I submit the following points for consideration:-
(I).
An enquiry into the methods of recruit-
-ment of all Chinese female domestic servants of the mui-tsai
56
class in Hong Kong.
(Mui-tsai elass means a girl who is
within the definition of "mui-tsai" in the Ordinance, whether
she is registered or not.)
(2). An enquiry into their conditions of
service and wages throughout their employment.
(3). An enquiry into the probable number
of un-registered domestic servants of the mui-tsai class,
and the probable number of female domestic servants, who
can not be classified as of the mui-tsai class.
(4). An enquiry into the expectation of
marriage of girls of the mui-tsai class, and the present
practice when girls continue to be mui-tsai after reach-
-ing a marriageable age.
(5). An enquiry into the age at which
supervision of a girl of the mui-tsai class would
ordinarily cease to be necessary.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.