Vicky’s sister Irene left Hong Kong last Saturday, after collecting the remainder of Vicky’s effects from the North Lantau Police station on Friday afternoon. Accompanying her were members of the Justice for Vicky concern group and Mr Gil Salceda, Head of the Assistance to Nationals Section at the Philippine Consulate. Mr Salceda also attended every session of the inquest, and deserves special recognition for his care and concern since April.
We would like to thank everyone who has left messages on this blog, and all of you who showed your support in other ways. The voyage has been long and we didn’t expect the destination at which we arrived, but everything we did was worthwhile.
Soon we will decide whether to continue with this blog under a new name and document the many elisions of justice that domestic helpers face in Hong Kong, transfer all of the material to a new blog, or transfer it to the administrator’s personal blog, which also documents the travails of migrant workers, amongst other things.
In the meantime, thank you for reading what we have offered. Spare a thought for Vicky when you can, and for all people who have no-one to turn to in times of need.
Here is a copy of my letter sent to the SCMP, last week, which has not, unsurprisingly, been published to date.
To: The Editor, SCMP
The family of the late Vicky Flores who reportedly drowned after running away from her employers home, are not the only ones shocked at the verdict of death by suicide. This has a devastating effect on many people who knew her, as there has been absolutely nothing to suggest this was the case, only hearsay, and no witnesses, no warning signs, or signals from those who knew her, nor any suicidal tendencies that have merged to even suggest that the night she fled in fear without shoes, money, or any other personal possessions, was to kill herself. She was pushed to the limit for some reason.
We may never know what really transpired and how she came to this fateful end, only this verdict does a great injustice to Vicky’s name and to her memory. If anything an open verdict or accidental death should have been recorded out of respect for a woman whom many people cared about, even for those who never met Vicky Flores.
Pamela Kember
Why today one can’t get right justice?