Tougher punishment sought for those who abuse their maids

Tougher punishment sought for those who abuse their maids

Zuraidah Ibrahim, Strait Times, Asia News Network, Singapore

The inventory of injuries read like something from a torture manual.

Indonesian maid Muawanatul Chasanah, as most readers know by now, wasted away from 50 kg to 36 kg in the span of 16 months. Littered all over her figure were 200 scars, sores, cuts and burns, the result of repeated whipping, kicking, punching, and burning with cigarette butts and scalding with hot water.

Her body finally said enough when her employer Ng Hua Chye fisted her on the face and chest and kicked her on the back. She died, the latest victim of maid abuse to come before the courts.

The rest of us were shocked, outraged and horrified that fellow Singaporeans are capable of descending to such depths of depravity.

But hang on. Did we not feel the same way a few months ago when we found out about the sick ways of one Jennicia Chow Yen Ping? She bit her maid's breasts so hard that one nipple later fell off.

It is clear by now that measures to protect the 140,000 foreign maids who work here are still inadequate.

After the government stiffened the penalties in 1998, the number of substantiated maid-abuse cases has dropped from the high of 157 in 1997 to 41 last year.

That is still an average of one case every nine days. Who knows how many more cases go unreported?

The most promising solution may be to have third parties check on the health and welfare of maids.

It has been suggested in this newspaper that civil-society groups should play a part. Indeed, it is hardly acceptable that even animals have the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to champion their rights, while maids have no dedicated non-government organization devoted to them.

Another group that should play a role is the medical profession. The law already requires all maids to go for six- monthly medical check-ups.

Presumably, these are to check for disease and pregnancy. A Forum page letter on Wednesday from two doctors made the excellent suggestion that the physicians should also examine the maids for signs of abuse.

Indeed, one has to wonder how the doctor who saw Muawanatul missed the signs.

Then there is the argument that the government should set up a special agency to look after maids' welfare. A system of government inspectors and social workers would certainly help reduce abuse.

The hefty levy collected by the government each month as a means of dampening demand for maids could surely meet the cost of such a system.

Let me suggest another idea, which would not cost the public a cent. Why not make it mandatory for maid agencies to check on the well-being of the maids they have brought here?

Require the agent to conduct monthly visits to the employer's home, at least for the first six months of the contract. Make the agent interview the maid and file a monthly declaration with the Manpower Ministry that she is all right.

If it subsequently emerges that the maid has been abused over a prolonged period, hold the agent at least partly accountable. Fine the agency, or close it down.

It makes sense for agents to bear some of the responsibility for the maids' welfare. After all, part of the reason maids tolerate abuse in silence is the financial debt they owe to the agents. To make any money at all from their big move to Singapore, they have to work for at least six months to a year. Until then, they live in fear of not being able to pay the agent's fee.

Agencies may protest that they should not be held accountable for victimization at the hands of employers. Well, agents who do not consider the safety of their maids to be their No 1 priority should not be in this business. Is it unreasonable to expect agents to keep tabs on the well-being of the vulnerable individuals they have placed in employers' homes?

If agents are forced to, they will be entrepreneurial and ingenious enough to find effective ways to do it. The solution may be as simple as making it very clear to maids at the outset what their rights are, that the moment something goes wrong, they must phone their agent immediately, and that they will not be penalized for complaining.

The maids need to know that there is a third party on their side, should their employers turn out to be monsters. It may be too intimidating to approach the police. Maids are more likely to turn to their agents -- if those agents make it clear that the maids' welfare is their top priority.

And if legislation is needed to ensure that the agents get their priorities right, then let's use it. Consumer watchdog Case is implementing voluntary accreditation for maid agencies. It will become compulsory in two years. I say, speed it up. And make proper monitoring of maids' welfare a condition of accreditation.

If some agencies cannot meet these conditions and remain in business, so be it. If the result is a massive shortfall in the supply of maids, so be it. It may be just what Singapore needs to wean itself off its unnatural dependence on live-in domestic help.

Little has been done to upgrade the quality of the domestic- maid industry. Most agencies do not prepare maids adequately for the different world they are about to enter. Many of the Indonesians, in particular, are too young, know no English, and have had no exposure to a modern home.

Compared with a decade ago, the situation appears to be getting worse, not better: With an increasing levy, agents have looked for cheaper sources of maids, and found them in poor villages in the region.

Meanwhile, domestic life has become more stressful and fast- paced, and fewer Singaporeans than before know enough Malay to communicate effectively with their maids.

Instead of trying to assure quality and a good fit, most agencies simply offer a trade-in opportunity: You can exchange the maid for another.

Clearly, punishing the abusive employers who are caught has not succeeded in deterring others from committing the same, or worse, crimes.

Singapore needs a system to ensure that abuse cases are uncovered promptly. And the system needs to be so watertight that abusive employers know that they cannot hide their victims away. Agents can be part of the solution.

When employers know that their maids are being monitored, they will be more likely to control their bestial urges; and even if abuse occurs, it will at least be cut short, and not dragged on to a deadly end.