'Maids deserve more credit'

Most middle and upper-income level Jakartans hire one or two maids to do the house chores while they are working. However, many housemaids, particularly those who live-in, have to work every day without holidays and have their other basic rights left unprotected. In conjunction with Human Rights Day on Dec. 10, The Jakarta Post asked some people how they treated their housemaids.

Jansen, 20, is a student at a private university in Grogol, West Jakarta. He lives with his grandparents in Pluit, North Jakarta:

I rarely talk to my maids, not because I don't respect them, but because I simply don't like to nag them with my orders.

I think maids should get more credit than they get right now because they help us a lot. At home, my maids do all my chores. They clean up my room, make my bed, wash my clothes and my car. They have tough work to do, so I don't want to add extra agony to their lives with more orders.

I show them my appreciation of their work by giving them extra money at the end of each month. I tell them the money's not much, just a token of my gratitude.

Theresia, 67, is a housewife. She lives with her family in Jembatan Dua, North Jakarta:

Maids can be difficult sometimes as they do not like to listen to what their employers say. But all in all, we need them to do our house chores and, therefore, I try my best not to yell at them because I don't want them to leave the house.

I always tell my kids not to give too many orders to the maids. I let my maids go to sleep before nine at night. At that time, I tell my children not to disturb them with orders because maids are also human beings who need rest.

At the end of every month, I always add extra money to their salaries. I tell them the money's from my kids, just to let the maids know that the kids also appreciate their work.

--The Jakarta Post