The maid strikes back - Maid in Singapore feeds employer urine

http://www.todayonli...-employer-urine

Quote

New movie title "Revenge of the Maids"

asiaone.com

Quote

There's also a story I read this morning in the Star of a 14 year-old Indonesian maid (!) from Kuala Terengganu who set fire to her boss's house after stealing MYR 500 in cash and a couple of laptops.

http://thestar.com.m...3538&sec=nation

These maids are mostly poor women from rural areas, some of them very young, who are frequently misused for cheap work, and often mistreated by their - in most cases - female employers.

Such stories are also known about Filipina maids.

Governments in Singapore or Hongkong etc. do not care about at all, despite there are many foreign maids working there.

We have no problems in Japan, as the employment of foreign maids is illegal in Japanese households.

Feminism is not for every woman....

yohan, on 07 January 2010 - 05:29 AM, said:

So I suppose the solution is to employ country girls then?

The rich in Shanghai, Beijing and other places in China hit on the idea of hiring a western nanny. Mum and dad both work so junior is raised speaking English by the nanny and picks up Mandarin and perhaps the local language from playmates and kindergarten. Apparently a decent racket if you strike the right couple to work for. I've even heard of Philippiñas with a decent command of English doing it.

And you're dead right, Yohan. I used to read the Straits Times online until the buggers started charging for the privilege. Maid abuse stories both in Singapore and Malaysia were regularly in print. Employers beating their maids, virtually imprisoning them, and even torturing/punishing them with cigarette burns. All very nasty. Court punishment should have been to have what they did to their maid done to them!

Uncle Gweilo, on 07 January 2010 - 06:47 AM, said:

No, not here in Japan, generally a Japanese family wants to be among their own people and do not like the idea of maids around them in their private life.

The solution here in the cities are professional services. They are working very good. You have a big house, so you have a maintenance contract with a company, which takes care of your garden, small repairing, bringing all for the party and coming again taking away everything and cleaning up etc. Restaurant services for delivery of food, laudry services, plenty of rental services, renting of rooms for meetings - if it can be avoided, Japanese do not like to invite people in their homes.

Japan is very good with local delivery/services etc. - maid services are somewhat unnecessary and Japanese homes are anyway small, even if the owner has a big income.

To employ own maids or drivers or gardeners etc. is very costly, considering the Japanese labour rights. Most of them will refuse to live-in but insist on regulated working hours.

It is cheaper in any case to call for professional services, which will do what you need and after the work is done, they pack their tools and materials into a truck and are gone, and if it was a good service, then see you again next time.

Yes, unskilled labour by foreigners is illegal in Japan, so you cannot employ foreigners for such jobs, but there is the possibility for legal part time work, for example Chinese students in Japan can work 20 hours per week, a Filipina married with a Japanese husband can work without labour permit.

yohan, on 07 January 2010 - 03:29 AM, said:

Very cryptic ... please enlighten me as to what you mean!

Uncle Gweilo, on 06 January 2010 - 11:24 PM, said:

To blame is here the Indonesian government and some other poor countries in that area, such irresponsible governments just do not care about anything.

I have seen - but already a while ago - foreign maids/house boys in Malaysia as young as 12 years old, (both, boys and girls) nobody cares, somewhat considered as a 'family member' - a 'foreign visitor' from another family... yes, I think, mostly from Indonesia, but there are also reports about child-maids from Vietnam, Myanmar, Bangladesh etc. I think, many of them are just illegals or abandoned children etc.
There is no control about education, health, nor any check about how this foreign child-maid is treated by the employer, who often has a right as custodian.

Philippines is the only poor country I know in Asia, which is different. Children doing domestic work in Philippines are all Philippine nationals, but even this is illegal, of course plenty of abuse, but also 2 million street children, too many to care about. Anyway this is still in their own country.

However, it is not possible by very strict Philippine government regulations to bring a Philippine child to overseas. There are plenty of clearance papers required from both parents and the foreign sponsor to receive permission to bring a minor out of Philippines to prevent misuse overseas. No airline will allow you in Philippines to board a plane with a Philippine minor up to 18 years old - even if the minor can speak for himself or herself and is not so young anymore - if not pre-arranged with clearance papers from the Social/Welfare department.

Captain Chaos, on 07 January 2010 - 09:34 AM, said:

For example in this thread,

I have never seen a poor maid, who is a foreigner and even a minor, who got some protection/support/extra good payment/or at least some understandings for her situation/ because her employer is a rich feminist.

Captain Chaos, on 07 January 2010 - 10:34 AM, said:

The hairy-armpit-boiler-suit-all-men-should-be-castrated stereotype from the 1960's perhaps?

yohan, on 07 January 2010 - 11:03 AM, said:

In South East Asia, perhaps.

I've seen reports on TV that women executives in the US UK and Australia treat their female underlings quite a deal worse than they do the menfolk. The supposition is that these women see other women as more of a threat- "Back off, B¡tch! I've worked hard to get where I am and you're not going to waltz in here and take it away from me" sort of thing.

Uncle Gweilo, on 06 January 2010 - 03:47 PM, said:

I've never heard of or met a western woman who works as a maid for a Chinese family in China. Where did you hear this? They might hire a Phillipina maid. . because she can speak english and would be willing to clean the house and cook. . .but what western or european girl is going to accept that job??

D

MrFantabulous, on 17 January 2010 - 11:08 AM, said:

I saw it on a documentary on TV a couple of years ago. Can't give any more information than that.

MrFantabulous, on 17 January 2010 - 10:08 AM, said:

Me either.
This job sounds more to be a private tutor for homeschooling in a rich Chinese household with many family members, where is also other staff employed, maids, gardeners, drivers, cooks etc..

You're probably right. It was a couple of years ago.

Maybe a private tutor who does a bit of babysitting on the side...

I have.

Why is that a big deal?

Why didn't I think of the term "nanny"? Think I need a coffee!

Uncle Gweilo, on 07 January 2010 - 06:47 AM, said:

This case happened not in Singapore or Malaysia, and it is much worse.

India was never much protective to low-class people including children, but this was even too much for the neighbours, they were calling for the police to arrest her employer.

http://www.youtube.c...feature=channel
Actress is mistreating severely her 10 (yes, TEN year old) maid.

http://www.youtube.c...GdPjj_0S7U&NR=1
Then her lawyer is showing up to defend the rich actress and telling everybody this is all not true....

I found some fragments from caches from Hindustan Times, articles are not complete...BTW, Rs 10.000,- = USD 200 or so?

Quote

Woman assaults 10-yr-old maid for eating her food...
On Saturday, a local court granted the accused, Urvashi Dhanurkar (32), bail on a bond of Rs 10,000. Dhanurkar has denied the allegations claiming ...

The Amboli police on Friday arrested a woman from Andheri's upmarket New Link Road area for assaulting her 10year-old maid, who she claimed ate her food without permission.

Quote

And another thing is, it's such a common occurence in Singapore the crime has its own name


http://www.todayonli...with-maid-abuse

Quote