Cambodia sent its first batch of maids to work in Hong Kong yesterday as the Asian financial hub scrambles to meet growing demand for domestic helpers after a series of abuse scandals.

Hong Kong is home to more than 300,000 foreign maids, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia.

But high-profile cases of abuse and forced labour have seized global headlines in recent years and threatened to stem the tide of migrant helpers.

Hong Kong has turned to Cambodia, one of Asia's poorest countries where the average monthly wage is around $100, to offset a potential maid shortage.

The city's population is rapidly ageing and demand for domestic helpers is predicted to soar among those wealthy enough to afford them.

Under the pilot project, six agencies were authorised in August to recruit Cambodian domestic workers to work in Hong Kong.

Fourteen women who have received basic training in Cantonese among other skills flew to Hong Kong yesterday.

Seik Malay, 30, told AFP said she made the painful decision to leave her nine-year-old daughter behind in Cambodia to earn $550 a month on a two-year contract in Hong Kong.

"With that salary, I will be able to support my family," she said, adding that she was not worried about the potential for mistreatment at the hands of Hong Kong employers.

Ngoy Rith, deputy chief of Cambodia's labour department, who is travelling to Hong Kong with the maids, downplayed concerns about exploitation despite a recent slew of cases of abuse.

"We have already prepared everything to handle those concerns," he told reporters before departure.