RI maids commit suicide in S'pore

RI maids commit suicide in S'pore

SINGAPORE: At least 65 Indonesian maids in Singapore died in the period from January 1999 to April 2002, of which 15 committed suicide by jumping to their deaths from their employers' apartments.

Citing data from the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore, Antara news agency reported on Sunday that most of the maids who committed suicide were suffering from stress.

"The Indonesian Embassy is always active in providing protection for (Indonesian) maids and resolving as quickly as possible any problems between recruiting companies and the maids' employers here," an Indonesian diplomat in Singapore, Gazali, was quoted as saying.

According to Gazali, most Indonesian maids are unaware of their rights and obligations. He added that when problems do arise between the maids and their Singaporean employers, negotiation was the first choice in seeking a solution.

"Only when the problems are not resolved (through negotiation) are the cases brought to court," said Gazali.

There are currently 450,000 foreign workers in Singapore, 100,000 of which are maids, including 35,000 Indonesian maids.

Many of the other maids come from the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. -- Antara