Despite its wealth, Hong Kong is leaving its poor to rot in squalid conditions. With one toilet per floor and just a few square feet to their name, thousands of cage dwellers live no better than animals.
"Many can't afford three meals a day or even water, the rent is not even cheap!" says human rights activist Sze Lai. She introduces us to 79-year-old Dai, who has spent 30 years in a cage. Ten other men share his room. Piled up to the ceiling, their cages would look shocking in a zoo. A chief worry is hygiene. 8-year-old Jessica lives with her mother in a cubicle too small to let a grown man stand. She points to the only toilet on their floor: "I hate it. People above throw dead rats down here". Although the need for public housing is dire, nothing is being done to eradicate cage dwelling. With only half of the government elected by universal suffrage, the poor just don't have a voice.
"Many can't afford three meals a day or even water, the rent is not even cheap!" says human rights activist Sze Lai. She introduces us to 79-year-old Dai, who has spent 30 years in a cage. Ten other men share his room. Piled up to the ceiling, their cages would look shocking in a zoo. A chief worry is hygiene. 8-year-old Jessica lives with her mother in a cubicle too small to let a grown man stand. She points to the only toilet on their floor: "I hate it. People above throw dead rats down here". Although the need for public housing is dire, nothing is being done to eradicate cage dwelling. With only half of the government elected by universal suffrage, the poor just don't have a voice.
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