Hong Kong, well known for its high life and dramatic skylines, is hiding a dark secret. Low-income families living in unbearably cramped apartments under the most distressed of conditions, according to an article on the Daily Mail website.
Get a Bird's-eye view of the living conditions here.
The images were taken by the Society for Community Organisation, SoCO, based in Hong-Kong and one of the leading, non-governmental and human rights advocates in the country. Established in 1971 by church members and activists, the purpose was to document the conditions the underprivileged faced in a country so rich in opportunities.
Hong Kong fosters the richest and the poorest in its 426-square mile land mass with a population of seven million. It ranks high on the UN Development Program's widest gap between rich and poor.
According to Daily Mail, the rent is estimated at HKD$90 per square foot a month, even the waiting list doesn't budge so the only choice for them until they find an accommodation is a low-end, small spaced apartment.
One room measures 4-feet by 7-feet in some places. One picture shows a an elderly man working on his desk surrounded by kitchenware, food, books and papers, there's barely enough room to move and it's unclear how he even gets out or sleeps.
In another photo, a family of three is crammed into a space where they share mealtime and sleep time. They use a small ladder to climb into their bunk beds that takes up half the room. The phone, papers and small bottles and tubes share a cubicle space, while plates and utensils litter the desks. For the families here, it's almost impossible to waste space.
SoCo told Daily Mail that hundreds of thousands more live in these type of conditions. SoCo finds they're all neglected by the government. Even 40 years after the group's formation, the most needed changes were never met.
China's booming population took a toll on Hong Kong in the 20th Century when the country became the center of industry and manufacturing.
"Hundreds of thousands still live in caged homes and wood-partitioned cubicles, while the unemployed, new-arrived families from China and children in poverty struggle for survival," said SoCo's director, Ho Hei Wah, in an interview with Daily Mail. "SoCO's underprivileged clients are increasing in numbers - while the city's wealth continues to accumulate."
