Brian Cheong's (s10036901A) story

Broadcast date: 22/ 01/ 2007
Time: 12:10 AM

(if it doesnt work i hoted it on, http://www.hddweb.com/81208/oralreport_ECI.m4a )


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At one point or another we have all seen and heard from them. For some of us, we employ them, share with them our food, and allow them to sleep under our roofs. They are the foreign domestic workers (FDWs); they come from all over Asia, but primarily Indonesia and the Philippines. But we do not realize, that as much as we should be grateful for their services, even here in Singapore, we treat them as if they are the lowest of the low. Or that is how Singapore views them.

If you do the math, we employ them for only slightly more than 60 or 80 cents per hour, when in Singapore, minimum wage is at least $3.50 per hour. How could the Singapore government allow this? The government makes medical checkups compulsory for foreign domestic workers every six months. If they get pregnant or have contracted HIV, they are immediately sent back to their home country. Failure for the employer to do so will result in the loss of the $5000 security bond. And similarly if the foreign domestic worker commits suicide or commits any illegal conduct.

However, the Singapore government has now clearly made its stand on the issue by addressing it with the raised quality of foreign domestic workers in Singapore. The government had already raised the minimum age requirement of these foreign workers by five years from 18 to 23 years old. As older FDWs are more mature to handle the elderly and children, it will reduce friction with their employers.

As we managed to grab an interview with Lilis, who had arrived in Singapore from Indonesia four years ago at the age of 19, she said that at that time, she was sent here on advise of friends who were already working in Singapore. Her friends told her that life in Singapore was better and she could make more money for her family consisting of her ailing mother and her six siblings. However, she did not realize that coming to Singapore would be a hard journey not only financially but also emotionally. Her first employers were very demanding and at her young age, she felt that she was almost ready to break down. Fortunately, after her contract ended she found a family that was willing to give her benefits such as off-days and even extra pay to support her family in Indonesia.

Perhaps it is a case that the government wishes to protect the young girls that come to Singapore to find work. But how long will these measures hold up. Even until today, girls under the guise of being older than they actually are, come into Singapore to work, and all these under the noses of the Singapore government.

A minimum of 8 years of education is required for a FDW to work here. To ensure that new FDWs can understand basic safety instructions and have some numeric and literacy skills to perform household tasks. This are but some measures the Ministry of Manpower have taken to not help the living conditions of FDWs in Singapore but for the employers. As clearly stated in a press release from the MOM, these changes are to raise the quality of FDWs. As if to say they were some form of object that could have its standards raised.

FDWs still undergo abuse by their employers, as the Employment Act does not apply to foreign domestic workers. It is clear that because of this loophole that employers are still free to do as they’re please to their FDWs.
On 21st August 2004, Straits Times reported another case of abuse. A 31-year-old woman who bit her maid, burnt her and slashed her with two knives was jailed for 28 months by a district court. That is but some of the many horrible things that employers can do to their employed FDWs. Although a majority are not like that, you can safely say that most although whether intentional or not, dehumanize their FDWs through ways various of belittling. By both employer and even the maid agencies.

Lilis recounts her tale of being positioned by the large glass window panel of the agency’s. She and many others like her are put there for hours on end, doing various activities such as being seen reading or writing something on pieces of paper given out by the staff at the agency. Further more, she remembers papers of her bio-data being put into plastic, transparent file sheets being nicely placed in an orderly fashion on the windows to allow passersby to view them.

All these were done by the agency she was, at in a bid to “sell” the maids. As if they were objects that could be deliberated upon based on education level, what type of work they could do and other things. Does this remind you of picking out a new handphone at the telecom store?

Therefore there have been cries by NGOs for a policy change. If the government does not start to protect the rights of FDWs now, further dehumanization, abuse and death will be rising in Singapore.

This has been Brian Cheong for “Issues” on NewsRadio 93.8.