This document provides an overview of MigRasia, an organization that aims to address problems faced by migrant workers across Asia through various initiatives. MigRasia acts as an incubator for solutions by bringing together educators, lawyers and advocates, social enterprises, data aggregators, technologists, and storytellers. It summarizes the work of each component, such as providing education programs and legal assistance to workers, incubating social businesses, aggregating data on industry trends, developing technologies to help workers, and sharing stories to raise awareness. The ultimate goal is to create systemic change through collaboration across different sectors.

1. Incubator for Migrant Solutions Across Asia

2. THE HARD TRUTH

3. DID YOU KNOW ?
US$ 12.6 Billion
3.6% of HK GDP
110,000 mothers in HK
are enabled to work
400,000 migrant
workers in HK = 10%
working population
True Value Of Domestic Work
1.
2.
3.
4.

4. CURRENT PROBLEMS
1. Unprepared infrastructure:
Lack of proper infrastructure to accommodate current
workers effectively (no place to go on Sundays)
2. Stigma, Exploitation & Abuse:
58% have faced verbal, 18% has faced physical, even sexual
abused. Unethical behaviors from agencies and employers
such as passport confiscated, over-charging fees. Perceived
as “Slave” – SCMP
3. Poorly-informed:
Most of them don’t know their rights, untrained (nutrition,
health)

5. MORE ARE COMING

6. Aggregation
Big problems require big solutions,
and today that means data. We work
to aggregate, analyze, and share data
to bring transparency and certainty.
WHAT WE DO
System Change
While we want to help individuals, our
aim is to change the system and
empower victims to ensure they and
others are never taken advantage of
again.
Collaboration
Not trying to reinvent the wheel. If
someone is doing something better
than us, we will support them in any
way we can.

7. WHAT IS MIGRASIA?
Educators
Lawyers &
Advocates
Social
Enterprise
Incubator
Data
Aggregators
We educate on the issues
and help people see
possible solutions
We create, incubate,
and scale commercial
solutions
We source cases and
victims, and help direct
advocacy efforts
We aggregate, analyze and
share data to provide
transparency and certainty
Technologists Storytellers
We attract top tech talent
to use their skills to create
scalable impact
Systems change requires
empathy, and so we share
stories to bring problems
and solutions to life

8. EDUCATORS

9. HK households
benefited
EmpowerU Impact
153
81
800+
3,000+
3,000+
Sexual Health STD & HIV Screenings
Cervical Cancer Screenings
MMR Vaccinations
Blood Pressure Screenings
Body Mass Index Readings
2,164 Certificates Given
771 Certificates Given
20% - 50 % Monthly Salary Saved >1,600
Since opening EmpowerU in July 2018, more than 2,000 migrant workers have studied
for more than 300,000 hours on a university campus!

10. LAWYERS & ADVOCATES

11. WHAT WE DO: LAW & ADVOCACY
One of a few organizations
in HK to run cases directly
Collaborate with existing
players and source cases
for them, facilitating case
management along the
way
Source cases directly via
our large social media and
program reach
Direct Case Work Investigative Work
Only organization with
dedicated team to conduct
investigations as a core
strategy
Investigation work often
starts before workers
arrive in HK — allowing us
to collect information from
the very start of the
recruitment process
Complex cases that no one
else is willing to take
Run down witnesses,
collect and analyze
evidence, conduct
surveillance, directly work
with law enforcement, etc.
Our cases can easily span
for months, if not years
Complex Cases

12. WHAT WE DO: LAW & ADVOCACY
2019 Numbers: Total Monetary Recoveries HK$5,333,000
● HK$4,000,000 in illegal debts effectively cancelled
● HK$1,158,000 in Hong Kong agency fee refunds;
● HK$45,000 in additional Labour Tribunal recoveries;
● HK$80,000 in Philippines agency fee refunds;
● 10+ ongoing prosecutions, with 30+ ongoing investigations;
● 4 high profile agency and money lender cases with over 2,000 victims in total
77.7% of the convictions against illegal employment agencies and 62.5% of the
license revocations or refusal to renew have been from our cases;

13. SOCIAL ENTERPRISE INCUBATOR

14. Direct Entrepreneurial Endeavors
(e.g., Polaris Tools)
Long-term Investments &
Partnerships
(e.g., EmpowerU)
Strategic Support & Scaling
(e.g., 24 Hour Race, ethical
agencies)
WHAT WE DO: SOCIAL
ENTERPRISE INCUBATOR

15. Polaris Tools
Founded, co-founded, or helped scale some of the
most successful social businesses in the space.
Migrant Training
Finance: Good
Financial
Back Office
Agency Services
”
“
WHAT WE DO: SOCIAL
ENTERPRISE INCUBATOR
Future-Focus
Education Ethical EAs Technology Fundraising

16. DATA AGGREGATION & RESEARCH

17. The space is hindered by one huge
problem: lack of actionable data
We develop & implement strategies to
collect, analyze, and share information
relating to migrant worker issues:
● Illegal agency activities
● Industry trends
● Legal cases
● Service providers
● Liberal use of government
information requests
WHAT WE DO: DATA
AGGREGATION & RESEARCH

18. Collect, Analyze, & Share
NGO and government players do not
have adequate tools, and no one shares
information, causing the problem to
persist.
Global network
We work with academics, NGOs, and
researchers from around the world
Universities & Academic Connections
With HKU as our foundation, we have
access to tools, funds, and academics to
expand existing research base
WHAT WE DO: DATA
AGGREGATION & RESEARCH

19. Data Aggregator
WHAT WE DO: DATA
AGGREGATION & RESEARCH

20. TECHNOLOGISTS

21. WHO WE ARE: TECHNOLOGISTS
We attract top tech talent to build
solutions: especially rare among
migrant worker NGOs in HK.
”
“
HKU & Stanford Computer Science
Graduates
Serial Entrepreneurs
Talented Graduates and Professionals

22. WHO WE ARE: TECHNOLOGISTS
130,000+
Members in our
FB Groups
Source cases,
help workers
find jobs, etc.
Know your agency
@ SCMP
All My Wages
SAFE HK
HK Agency
Reviews
Migrant Workers
Project
Know your
agency website
and data
visualizer
Open semantic
search and
agency website
scraping/
analysis tools
Polaris Tools
Ethical agency
chatbot
Digital signature
Contract
memorialization
and sharing
Blockchain
Aps
Smart contracts
Future Focus
Social Media Websites Analytics Tools Software

23. STORYTELLERS

24. WHO WE ARE: STORYTELLERS
A case’s impact is limited if no
one knows about it.
We work with journalists to tell
stories to educate the broader
public, and hopefully incentivize
ethical behavior.
”
“
Maximizing Impact

25. WHO WE ARE: STORYTELLERS
● Hong Kong urged to investigate local partners of illegal recruiters arrested in the Philippines
● Hong Kong slow to act on suspected money-laundering scheme that duped Filipino maids, legal experts say
● Why Hong Kong’s reputation as a human trafficking black spot is justified
● The data that lays bare the hidden links in Hong Kong’s domestic helper employment industry
● How Hong Kong failed Madagascar’s domestic helpers
● Suspended barrister Ody Lai arrested for alleged fraud conspiracy, money laundering
● HK Police confirm arrest of Ylagan & Grospe
● Suspended barrister named in deception case
● Petition against Philippines recall of Hong Kong labour attaché gathers numbers as many recognise Jalilo Dela Torre’s
achievements
Select Stories About Our Cases

26. OUR HKU PARTNERS

27. SOME OF OUR NGO PARTNERS

28. Thank you!