Maids in S'pore work 17 hours a day

Maids in S'pore work 17 hours a day

SINGAPORE: Foreign maids in Singapore work up to 17 hours a day and only half get one day off a month, but the domestic workers say physical abuse is not rampant, a survey showed on Sunday.

While one in six of 284 maids queried by The Sunday Times said their treatment could be better, 82 percent said they are happy here.

Most are up by 6 a.m. and finish between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Seven in 10 are allowed to take breaks during the day.

Only half get days off, and usually only once a month.

Fifty percent said they have their own bedrooms and eat three meals a day, usually the same food as their employers.

Three in 10 have been shouted at and one in 100 said they have been physically abused.

Verbal and emotional abuse is likely to persist, said Anthony Slim, vice president of the Association of Employment Agencies of Singapore. -- DPA