Opposition to mui tsai

The mui tsai system spread to other parts of the world through immigration and colonization, causing it to become a human rights issue in countries such as Great Britain and America.

[2] In July 1921, local elites held a meeting at the Tai Ping Theatre and created "The Society for the Protection of Mui Tsai".

The manifesto states that the system was injurious to public morality, it was subversive of righteousness, and it was damaging to the national body (dasun guoti).

[5] They received backing from local groups such as the Young Women's Christian Association and was able to gain support from the foreign community and many labor unions.

The chairman of the Chinese Seamen's Union participated and showed willingness to adopt the mui tsai question as a labor issue.

The bill eventually prohibited any new mui tsai transactions and domestic service for girls under ten years of age.

[2] When the secretary of the Anti-Slavery and Aborigines Protection Society learned about the situation, letters were written to the Manchester Guardian that was soon published.

[2] The new colonial secretary, Passfield, told Clementi to put Part III of the 1923 ordinance into immediate effect and send six monthly reports on the progress.

[2] In August 1919 Clara Haslewood and her husband Hugh, a retired Royal Navy lieutenant-commander moved to Hong Kong.

In November of the same year, Haslewood wrote several letters criticizing the mui tsai system and her writings were published by four newspapers.

[6] The attention these letters gained led reactionary governor, Sir Reginald Stubbs to have the Admiralty transfer Haslewood's husband.

After returning to Britain, Haslewood continued to oppose the mui tsai system by speaking out in the press and writing to members of Parliament.

[7][2] The Secretary of State of the Colonies, Winston Churchill supported the anti-mui tsai movement and in 1922, he pledged to the House of Commons that within a year the practice would be ended.

In 1923, the Female Domestic Service Bill banning the importing and transferring of mui tsai was established by the Hong Kong Legislative Council under the British Parliament.

In a letter published by the Manchester Guardian in 1929, Churchill was criticized for being unable to fully abolishing the mui tsai system.

[11][12] It was the result of the Temporary Slavery Commission (TSC) of 1924-1926, which had addressed the Mui Tsai trade in girls in China, which was a matter given international attention at this point.

In the past, the organization helped poor women and children, prevented kidnappings, and assisted in complex family and marriage issues.

Chinese Christian women utilized the Western presence of missionaries to gain access to international resources which ultimately created a sense of agency between the two.

[4] In 1920 she became a founder of the Chinese YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association) of Hong Kong along with Fok Shui Yue, Katherine S.C.

[17] Mrs. Ma's Christian faith allowed her to detach from old standards and values and challenge tradition through her involvement in the anti-mui tsai movement.

In episode 23 of the drama, a press conference is held where people voice their opposing opinions about the mui tsai system.

[20] In 1879, the Chief Justice of the Hong Kong Supreme Court wrote that the mui tsai system was no different from slavery.

[17] The mui tsai system was a commonly occurring issue for Britain when the country had a wide spread empire in the Asiatic regions.

British news sources at the time kept mainland Britain updated on the status of mui tsai abolitionism in Hong Kong.

The spread of mui tsai to other parts of Asia and the world through Chinese diaspora aided in its abolition, and in raising the awareness of the wider issue of child welfare.

This environment of poor and culture shocked Chinese immigrants made a breeding ground for the mui tsai system.

Interest and activism for human rights was not very evident at the time of the mui tsai system's American start, especially in immigrant communities.

When both Christians and Protestants began targeting mui tsai in San Francisco, the issue of this kind of child slavery[23] became more recognized by non-Chinese American communities.

[25] Although the mui tsai system is no longer accepted, many of the factors underlying its development such as poverty and son preference or discriminations against the female gender are still prevalent.

With the return of authority over Hong Kong to the People's’ Republic of China in 1997, there has been a closer economic link between the Special Administrative Region and the Mainland.