Background

          The influx of foreign domestic workers in Singapore began in the late 1970s as a response to a shortage for labor and the rising trend for Singaporean women to join the workforce. The majority of these domestic workers come from Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. The number of foreign domestic workers has increased from 20,000 in the 1980s to approximately 160,000 to date. This means that about 1 in 6 Singaporean households employs a live in maid.

           Singapore has an Employment Act which protects workers with a minimum wage, a maximum limit of forty-four hours of work per week and limits from salary deductions, but domestic workers are explicitly excluded under the basis that the nature of their working environment differs from that of a traditional industrial workplace. Foreign domestic workers are thus susceptible to exploitation as they have limited rights, do not have a support network, and have no witnesses in the event of maltreatment. Also, a majority of domestic workers are bounded by indenture and may spend as much as 10 months before being paid a salary in order to pay back their agency’s fee. The issue of domestic worker abuse, however, is regarded as more of a labor issue rather than a human rights issue by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)—a ministry of the Singaporean government which is in charge of the implementation of policies regarding labor.

The number of foreign domestic worker abuse in Singapore per year is difficult to obtain since many cases go unreported, and only a few cases are actually tried since insufficient evidence is available to prove the occurrence of abuse. Singaporean police has stated that the number of abuse cases reported has decreased from 157 in 1997 to 59 in 2005. Between 1999 and 2004, 114 Indonesian domestic workers died due to suicide or accident, and there were five incidents where maids were killed by their employers. Causes for these deaths have not been investigated in depth. On the other hand, “the Ministry of Manpower handled 189 cases of unpaid wages to domestic workers in 2002, 214 cases in 2003, and 262 cases in 2004”—another type of abuse.

In response to the number of domestic abuse cases, MOM has implemented the following: a compulsory orientation for first time employers in 2004; monitoring of employers who change their domestic helpers frequently in 2004; and harsher penalties for abuse of domestic workers. However, MOM has not implemented a mandatory day-off for domestic workers despite pressure from NGOs like UNIFEM, uniform wages, nor uniform contracts for domestic workers. The employment act states that employers must provide their domestic workers with “adequate rest, as well as rest day(s) included in the employment contract” but does not specify what “adequate” is. Employment contracts that are provided by agencies vary in their specifications for rest days and usually allows a domestic worker to be compensated a fee of SGD 15-20 in place of taking a rest day.

Domestic Workers Abuse in Singapore – Master, Please Stop the Beating

            The issue of domestic worker abuse remains a prevalent occurrence in Singapore today, as is visible in Singaporean media. However, many cases handled by embassies or organizations are not often publicized in the media, so the number of abuse cases published in the news is not a clear indication of the actual number of occurrences in Singapore. Although a hotline is available for domestic workers to state their complaints to their respective embassies, many cases go unreported. This is because many domestic workers, especially undocumented ones, fear the consequences of reporting to the government. Rather than coming into Singapore through an accredited agency, a large number of domestic workers arrive in Singapore with tourist visas or through illegal recruiters. Under these circumstances, reporting an incidence of abuse may cost them their job. In addition, many serious abuse cases which are actually reported are dismissed due to the lack of evidence and witnesses which prove the occurrence of abuse. In most abuse cases, the only witnesses present are the plaintiff and the defendant or the defendant’s family who may not testify against their family member. Embassies may document the number of cases of physical abuse, but do not count cases handled by the police. Because of these reasons, exact statistics are difficult to obtain.

Abuses include but are not excluded to food deprivation, long working hours with inadequate rest, unpaid wages, forced prolonged solitary confinement in an employer’s home, verbal, physical and sexual abuse. A number of domestic workers are abused by the agents themselves, whose abuses include the confiscation of personal belongings such as passports, illegal or dangerous job assignments, the refusal to remove domestic workers from abusive employers, and the charging of exorbitant recruitment fees. According to one domestic worker interviewed by the Human Rights Watch:

“The agent in Singapore was cruel.  I had to take off all my clothes and was totally nude.  They were checking to see if I had hidden money.  I was wearing a head scarf.  They took it and threw it away.  They hit me and kicked me with boots.  They asked if I brought anything from Indonesia.  They took 50,000 rupiah I had.  There were three other girls with me.  This was happening in front of them.  Only those of us from Indonesia experienced this [treatment].  I had bruises on my head and arms.  The employer found out when I went to her home.  She asked me to go to the police.  I said it didn’t matter because God will punish them.  They were Indonesian agents in Singapore from my hometown.”

—Sri Mulyani (not her real name), Indonesian domestic worker, age thirty, Singapore, February 19, 2005

In order to pay back their recruitment fees, some domestic workers are also obligated to stay with their employers for at least six months. During this time, they are indebted and may not earn a salary. In this situation, they are at the mercy of their employer and their agents and find it close to impossible to escape a situation of abuse.  

            Since there is no minimum wage in Singapore, the salaries of maids are based on the standards set by various agencies. Domestic workers’ salaries are determined by their race, with Indians being paid the least at a minimum of SGD 100, Sri Lankans at an average of SGD 200, Indonesians at SGD 250 and Thai and Filipina workers at SGD 300. However, many domestic workers are forced to work up to 20 hours a day. One domestic worker we interviewed at HOME’s shelter was forced to work from 8 am to 12 am each day, sometimes even up to 4 am, while earning less than SGD 300 per month. This amounts to about 60 cents per hour.

The fear of becoming unemployed prevents many domestic workers to report of the abuses. These employees would rather endure the harsh working environment rather than lose their job. According to a Filipina domestic worker interviewed by Human Rights Watch, she didn’t want to complain about her salary because she fears they will find another maid. Employment agencies sometimes offer a package deal with a “free replacement” if there are any problems. Since the priority of domestic workers is to earn as much money to send back to their home country, most abused domestic workers choose to tolerate the treatment they get from their employers, including physical and verbal abuse. However, when the “hitting” and “insults” become increasingly unbearable, they run away to shelters designated to help abused domestic workers recover from the trauma and psychological pain. Two of the more common severe cases of physical abuse reported by the Philippine Embassy are the pressing of hot iron onto their skin and on Straits Times, the vandalism on the employee’s face using markers. In some rare cases, when the suffering is too severe, the domestic worker would attempt suicide. Between the year 1999 and 2004, about 114 Indonesian domestic helpers died (due to accident or suicide) in Singapore. Such abuses and suicide cases not only put a great deal of mental distress on the domestic workers but it also affects the political relationship between Singapore and ASEAN in general, and sending countries – such as Indonesia and the Philippines – in particular.

There are many factors that contribute to “masters” abusing their employees. Stress and frustration faced by a working parent can easily lead up to the abuse of the domestic worker. One of the more common reasons for their abusive action is work-related stress, where the parent struggle to balance work and family. Another reason would be the financial pressure of supporting the family in a high-cost living environment. In addition, the increasing demand of raising young children also triggers a temperamental parent to abuse the domestic worker. Aside from family and work-related stress, the difference in culture and language could result in frustrated employees to act irrationally towards their helper. In most cases, domestic workers are abused simply due to their inability to cope with the unreasonably high expectations of the employee.

Solution

                    In order to make a change, the root of the problem must be attended to—the public’s attitude toward domestic workers. To meet our goal of stopping domestic worker abuse, we think that it is necessary to first make the public aware of these abuses. In order to create awareness, we will make car bumper stickers and sell them for SGD3.50. The proceeds will be donated to an established organization, H.O.M.E. (Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics) which provides a shelter for runaway, abused maids in Singapore. These bumper stickers will have phrases such as "My maid is happy" or "Honk once if your maid is happy." We will sell them in our campus during Food Fest and also around Singapore during a weekend when there is a high volume of the public in Orchard Road, or we will find a store to aid us in our sale. By reaching out to the public and getting others to buy these bumper stickers, the issue will continue to be advertised around the country.

                    Some problems might occur, such as the lack of willingness of the public to buy, since, as students, we are not working directly under an accredited organization and do not have much publicity for our project. This is the reason why we will individually sell it face to face because we could help explaining the purpose of the bumper sticker. This project will definitely create awareness because we are selling it not only around Singapore American School, but also Singapore itself. These stickers will act as a vehicle for us to keep spreading awareness beyond our own capacities. Hopefully, they will be able to spark interest and change in others’ treatment of domestic workers.

Conclusion

                    Every Sunday, the number of domestic workers who line Orchard Road on their day off gives the appearance that all maids in Singapore are treated fairly. However, domestic workers in Singapore are certainly not spared from ill treatment. For many of these women, a job as a domestic worker is the only escape from a life of poverty for themselves, and for their families, and working abroad is already a sacrifice. Being a live-in domestic worker is a taxing occupation, and for the unlucky ones, a cruel one if complemented with discrimination, exploitation and abuse. Far too often do we see domestic worker abuse cases appear on the newspapers, for example: Ms Badingah, an Indonesian domestic worker was physically abused by her employers who pulled out two of her front teeth with pliers in 2008. Unfortunately, there are more unreported cases of food deprivation, sexual predation, verbal and physical abuse, where maids are treated more like bonded slaves rather than domestic workers and even cases where domestic workers have committed suicide when abuse has been too severe. The Singaporean government has already implemented a few changes in response to the situation of domestic worker abuse. However, domestic workers are still treated as a completely different class, excluded from basic labour rights protections. Until people change their attitudes toward domestic workers and the government takes all initiatives to reduce the occurrence of abuse, such as the authorization of a mandatory day off, a standard contract and standard wages for all domestic workers regardless of race, there will continue to exist an environment in which abuse is a common occurrence.  

Awareness Project 

By reaching out to the public and getting others to buy these bumper stickers, the issue will continue to be advertised around the country.  Hopefully these stickers will help people be aware that Singapore is not a perfect country.  Although it seems that all of the domestic workers here are happy, some of them are not.  Some abuse cases are unknown since the worker themselves are scared of the consequences.   

To help prevent Domestic Worker Abuse, we are selling these car window bumper stickers for 3.50SGD.  All proceeds will go to H.O.M.E organization in Singapore that has been actively involved with helping domestic worker abuse cases. 

If you are interested in buying a sticker, please contact us here. 

Also, watched our video www.youtube.com/watch 

Annotated Bibliography

Primary Sources:

1.        Lee, Han Shih. "Silence on maid abuse must end." Business Times 27 July 2002. Business Times.

               17 Sept. 2008 <http://www.singapore-window.org/sw02/020727bt.htm>

This is a newspaper article written by a court reporter about a maid who ran away from her employer after being physically abused for not doing her job well (not cleaning the kitchen to employer’s satisfaction). This article adds on the list of numerous cases of abused maids but also shows that the Singapore govt. will take action if the maid reports the abuse.

This article let us know of what the Singapore government and the communities are trying to do to worsen or help maid abuse in Singapore.  In one case, a neighbor reported that it was not his business and that it is the employer's rights for doing whatever he wants.  This, clearly help worsen maid abuse in Singapore.  This article also happens to mention some possible solutions that can help prevent maid abuse in the future.  Some of these solutions are: punishing people that helps making the abuse happens (both direct and indirect), revoking agency's license if their placements happen to show a high number of abuses, and compensating the family of the abuse victims.

2.        Varia, Nisha. Maid to Order: Ending Abuses against Migrant Domestic Workers  in Singapore.

               Human Rights Watch. 2005. Human Rights Watch. Dec. 2005. Human Rights Watch. 16 Sept.

               2008 <http://hrw.org/reports/2005/singapore1205/index.htm>

Secondary Sources:

1.        "Abusing maids - Again." The Online Citizen. 1 Apr. 2007. 17 Sept. 2008.

                <http://theonlinecitizen.com/2007/04/abusing-maids-again/>

This article explains the possible reasons why employers abuse their maids, what restrict them to abuse and also what could be done to ameliorate the issue of maid abuse.

2.        "Singapore must halt maid abuse." Turkish Weekly 6 December 2005. Turkish Weekly. 17 Sept.

               2008 <http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=22845>

This is a 124 page report outlining domestic worker abuse in Singapore, providing background information and also first hand accounts. This report was thoroughly researched by the Human Rights Watch organization and includes case studies and interviews of over 90 domestic workers.

This article was written in 2005 to show how the Singapore government is dealing with the maid abuse issue.  And apparently, Singapore excluded the rights for maids from their Employment Act.  In Hong Kong, the rights for maids includes rights for a weekly rest day, minimum wage, maternity leave, public holidays, and paid annual leave; in Singapore though, these rights are not mentioned.

3.        Singh, Khushwant. "Finance officer jailed for 'defacing' maid with marker pens." The Straits Times.

               26 June 2008. The Straits      Times. 16 Sept. 2008 

            <http://www.straitstimes.com/latest%2bnews/courts%2band%2bcrime/stistory_251917.html?

4.        Tan, Lucky. "Human Rights and Maids...." Diary of a Singaporean Mind. 13 July 2008. Blogger. 16

               Sept. 2008 <http://singaporemind.blogspot.com/2008/07/human-rights-and-maids.html>

This article was written by a local Chinese Singaporean who felt that many Singaporeans who have abused their maids of their rights should not be condemned by the govt. or the public as the citizens have been told not to worry about the human rights. The lack of concern for the human rights idea that "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights…” has made Singaporeans very tolerant. This article explains one of the many reasons as to why employers abuse their maids.

5.        Wei, Jamie Ee Wen. "More Domestic Workers Seeking Help." The Straits Times 6       July 2008.

               The Straits Times. 16 Sept. 2008  

               <http://www.straitstimes.com/free/story/stistory_255050.html.>

This article which appeared in the Straits Times examines the matter of increasing complaints from domestic workers to welfare groups. However, although though there are fewer official cases of domestic worker abuse recently, this article points out that figures cannot be relied on alone because many cases occur unreported. Since this article was published this year, 2008, it shows that this is still a relevant issue today.

Pictures

1.     Brown. Tired of having maids that need rest? [Just call 1-800-myslave or visit our website www.slaves.com.sg for no-off low-          pay domestic help!]. Digital image. 12 Oct. 2006. Flickr. 11 Oct. 2008 <http://flickr.com/photos/mr-brown/267829510/>.  

2.     Sherwin. Spiderwoman [Maids in Singapore really don't get paid enough to do this kind of thing.].                  Digital  image.27 Feb. 2007.Flickr. 11 Oct. 2008 <http://flickr.com/photos/sherwinh/405236270/>.     

3.     Cloudywind. 16th September 2007 - Sentosa [Maid with a baby girl by the beach]. Digital image. 17 Sept. 2007.      Flickr. 11 Oct. 2008 <http://flickr.com/photos/cloudywind/1397723102/>.

4.     Ozlady. Change Your Problem Maid for a New One? [Anyone need a new appliance?]. Digital image. 2 Nov. 2006. Flickr.                     11 Oct. 2008 <change your problem maid for a new one?>.

5.     Sun Pictures, and Lakshman. . [My friends maid, working]. Digital image. 30 Mar. 2007. Flickr. 11      Oct. 2008 <http://flickr.com/photos/lakshmananand/439571959/>.

6.     Ketsugi. LOYAL MAID [Do you need a loyal maid? Other agencies provide maids who aren't house-trained? They don't      learn english? Call LOYAL MAID today!]. Digital image. 1 June 2006. Flickr. 11 Oct.      2008 <http://flickr.com/photos/ketsugi/158090215/>. 

7.     Rahman, Rosland. A filipino domestic helper in tears duri... Digital image. 12 Jan. 2006. Getty Images. 11 Oct. 2008      <http://www.gettyimages.com/search/search.aspx?src=expand&query=z.i.h4siaaaaaaaeao29b2acszylji9tynt_svvk1-     b0oqiaybmk2jbaeozbim3mkuwdaucjkasqgcplvmvdzhzazo2dvpfee--999577733ujudtif33_8_xgzkawz2zkrayz4hgkrihz9-     fb8_in7dfln91etf49f4nx6px_dskv3kvyb9-pj-_9vpqkxe>.