Housemaids deserve better
Housemaids deserve better
From Kompas
On Feb. 7 and Feb. 11, Kompas printed a statement from the
Minister of Women's Roles Mien Sugandhi, saying that many
Indonesian women were working as prostitutes in the Middle East.
As members of a non-governmental organization, Solidaritas
Perempuan, which advocates the plight of Indonesian female
servants, we would like to make the following points.
1. We wholeheartedly support the minister's efforts to protect
Indonesian female servants in the Middle East. Mien's discussion
of the matter and her belief that female workers are not to
blame, is an important step toward solving the problem. The
minister said brokers and economic constraints put pressure on
female workers to become prostitutes.
We appreciate the minister's efforts in the matter, both at
home and abroad. Temporary information in our office will be sent
straight to her office.
2. We protest the minister's attitude, which we find demeaning
and discriminating toward female servants, as in Kompas (Feb.
11). Her attitude shone forth with the words: "When they (Saudi
Arabians) see Indonesian women, they think they are servants. If
they think I'm a servant, I'll hit them. They take it for granted
that female workers are domestic servants. With these looks of
mine, they take me for a servant."
These words discriminate against domestic helpers. According
to Mien, domestic servants are regarded as second class citizens
and are clearly not on the same level of other female
professionals (like presidential servants, for instance).
Servants also seem to have certain facial features, which differ
from the faces of middle class women.
It is because of this degrading view that female servants are
vulnerable to human rights violations such as low wages,
irregular working hours and abusive treatment. In many countries,
female servants are also legally unprotected.
The words of the minister contradict her position. Is not a
minister no more than a "servant" of the President and what about
a civil servant?
The interests of domestic servants should be better looked
after and certainly not sneered at.
INDRIASWATI
Jakarta