Women workers escape

BATAM, Riau: Eleven Indonesian women workers escaped mistreatment at the hands of their Malaysian employers in Johor and returned home with the help of officials at the Indonesian consulate in Johor Bahru.

The workers told Antara they were exploited, made to work excessively and given too little chance to rest and recover.

"I was cheated by my broker. I was told I would only be taking care of a baby. As it turned out, I also had to be the housekeeper and worked in my employer's restaurant day and night," said Elizabeth, a 20-year-old woman from Pontianak, West Kalimantan, who was promised a 350 ringgit monthly pay.

She had not been paid for a year because she had to pay back 4,000 ringgit (Rp 4 million) her employer had paid her broker.

Another worker, Leni, 22, recounted how she was verbally abused if she was a slow in lifting heavy cans.

Yumangka, 40, from Jember, East Java, said she was kicked and beaten if she made mistakes in her work. She had not been paid for nine months.

Maya, 23, was raped by her employer.

The eleven were among 50 Indonesian women who traveled to Malaysia to work as housemaids. (swe)