Ex actress convicted of maid abuse

Ex actress convicted of maid abuse

SINGAPORE: A former Singapore television actress has been
convicted of physically abusing her Indonesian maid with needles
and a high-heeled shoe, The Straits Times reported on Thursday.

Gao Man Hua, 42, who will be sentenced in January, admitted in
court on Wednesday that she poked Yahya Herin Kartikawati, 19,
with needles and hit her with a high-heeled shoe last year, the
paper reported.

In one incident, Gao struck the maid's head with the shoe,
leaving a small cut on her scalp, the report said.

The Straits Times said Gao appeared in a program called Star
Search 14 years ago. Court officials could not immediately
confirm Gao's conviction.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a report released
earlier this month that maids in Singapore suffered serious
abuses including sexual violence, home lock-ups, and food
deprivation. The government dismissed the report as an
exaggeration.

About 150,000 women work as maids in Singapore, most of them
from impoverished villages in the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri
Lanka. -- AFP