If you think of Hong Kong  then skyscrapers and vibrant modern city life may be what springs to mind. From the outside Hong Kong seems like a place where there is very little poverty. While it may be true that people in Hong Kong generally live a comfortable lifestyle, living costs especially for accommodation is higher than countries such as the US and UK. It has been revealed that because of these high costs the poor in Hong Kong are being forced to literally live in cages!

For $167 a month people rent a claustrophobic metal cage where they live in squalid conditions. The cages measure only 16-square-foot and are often placed on top of each other in order to pack as many into dilapidated apartments as possible. This is even not the worst aspect!

Because of the risk of bedbugs, many of the people who live in these cages choose instead line them with just thin pads and bamboo mats. There are no kitchens, they share squat potties and wash their clothes in buckets.

It has been estimated that around 100,000 people may be living in these terrible conditions.

Of course the conditions of homeless people in many developed countries are equally as bad, but there is no getting away from how terrible it is that people are being forced to rent and live in metal cages! This should put into perspective some of the more mundane problems people complain about such as which smart phone to buy.

What do you think about these conditions?

Source: [MSN Now]