Women workers escape

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)