April 1, 2007
THE other day over lunch, my friend described how her Singaporean neighbours were not feeding their maid. The maidwas literally begging for food, so my friend began feeding her through the back gate. Unfortunately, the neighbour found out and has forbidden the to go anywhere outside or talk to anyone. We discussed what we could do to help the poor woman but found that our choices were limited if we did not want to risk getting her deported.
Two days later, I discovered that the same thing was happening in the apartment next to mine. The Singaporean neighbours had gone through three maids in six months, all of whom were denied food, not allowed a single day off, and had their passports kept from them. When the maids finally quit, the employers refused to "release" them for employment elsewhere, so they were forced to return home. The current maid is also begging for food through the back window. She has lost weight and looks pale. She does not have a single day off and is forced to work from 5am until after midnight. She lives in fear that her employer will find out that we are giving her food, as the employer had threatened to beat her if she communicates with anyone. I called the Ministry of Manpower, which offered me no solution that would protect her from deportation.
It is astonishing that this could occur in such a wealthy and educated country. Singaporeans should be outraged at this behaviour and also concerned about the stereotypes that have emerged. In my heart I know that Singaporeans do not all behave like this. But why are they not standing up against this immoral treatment and demanding that their Government take action – such as setting up a special division to deal with these complaints and protect the maids involved? Clearly not enough is being done.
Laura Thornton-Olivry (Ms)
