A year after arriving in Hong Kong in 2017, Filipino domestic helper Maria Nemy Lou Rocio took out a HK$25,000 (US$3,200) loan from a local bank to settle her family’s debts and provide for her three children at home. She had learned from other domestic workers about how to apply for the loan but said it took more than a year to repay it. With a monthly salary of less than HK$5,000, she was left with little for herself and had to borrow from friends to cover her daily expenses in the city. “I...