Singaporean faces 80 counts of abuse

Singaporean faces 80 counts of abuse

SINGAPORE: A 28-year-old Singapore woman faces 80 separate charges of abusing her Indonesian maid including punching, kicking and threatening to kill her, the Straits Times said on Friday.

The newspaper said it was highest number of maid abuse offenses filed against an individual in Singapore, where cases of abuse of foreign domestic workers, are common.

The woman, who has said she would defend the charges in court, is accused of poking the maid in the eye, hitting her with objects such as a tomato sauce bottle and shoes,and pulling her hair, the newspaper said.

If convicted on assault charges, she could be sent to prison for one and a half years or pay a fine of up to S$1,000 (US$602), or both. For making death threats, she could be jailed for up to seven years, or fined, or both.

Often regarded as an inexhaustible underclass who are cheap and compliant, Singapore's 140,000 foreign domestic workers make the affluent city-state one of the world's top employers of maids, who are mostly from the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. -- Reuters