Foreign maids are not slaves

 

When will the authorities punish people who abuse their maids? In the past, many employers of domestic helpers who were abused escaped punishment or, at best, only received the most lenient of sentences.

Denying the domestic helpers any justice means that no lessons will be learnt, and other abusive employers will feel emboldened and continue their evil ways of mistreating their workers.

Our foreign maids are very vulnerable. We have read countless reports about them being beaten unconscious, starved, sexually and mentally abused, threatened, denied leave, and their passports confiscated by their employers. Some are forced to endure long working hours, their wages are withheld, and their movements restricted.

Yesterday, it was reported that two Indonesian women, Satuni and Yati (not their real names), had fled from their employer’s home to seek refuge in the Indonesian embassy.

Satuni, from East Jawa, had been kicked, slapped and beaten on the head with a broomstick for not performing her duties to her employer’s satisfaction. When she failed to clean the dust properly, she would be beaten. She claimed her daily schedule started at 5am and would last until midnight, and she was forced to work despite contracting Covid-19.

She alleged that her abusers included the children of her “Datuk” employer, one of whom would belittle her for being poor.

For Yati, being scolded every day for the most trivial of reasons was simply too much for her, but it was being slapped that finally proved the last straw. Both she and Satuni fled to the embassy when their employer was away after enlisting a neighbour’s help. At the embassy, they were told the “Datuk” had also abused three other workers.

A couple of foreign maids have died at the hands of their employers but, fortunately, Satuni and Yati did not suffer such a fate.

People wrongly assume that evil employers are uneducated or from the lower classes. In this particular case, the employer was not only the holder of a title, she must be wealthy as she could afford to employ two maids, besides a driver and a guard. She also reportedly graced the covers of magazines.

Although not all employers are cruel, many treat their maids as slaves. They believe that since they have paid the recruitment agency for their services, they can regard them as their personal property.

Foreign maids, like most other workers, do not seek special treatment. All they want is a fair, decent and honest working relationship. They have left their comfort zones and travelled thousands of miles to earn a living and send back whatever they can save to their loved ones back home. Sadly, however, many see them as lazy and thieves.

These employers forget that without their maids, they cannot live their life of luxury. Who will clean the house, cook, wash, and take care of their children and elderly parents?

So when will the government do more to punish those who mistreat and, worse still, maim their maids?

The Indonesian embassy told FMT it would seek legal action against the employer for abusing Satuni and Yati. Although some have been brought to court, it is certain many others have not been brought to book. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not reflect those of MMKtT.