Sahira Bte Zulkifli - S10035926C

The Truth About Maid Abuse



Hi, this is Sahira and I present to you my oral report on the Foreign Domestic Workers, or FDW for short.

What comes to mind when the word “maid” is mentioned?
A pitiful figure forced to work so many hours a day?
Someone being abused when she makes a minor mistake?

We are forced to see from the repeated news reports that highlight how abusive Singaporean employers are to the FDWs, that all maids are pitiful as they’re mostly ill-treated. The Life for Rent conference further reinforced this belief by pointing out how they they’ve come to Singapore to earn some money only to be mistreated, bullied and abused badly. One maid went up to relate her horrible experience of how her employer had even peed on her. However, I believe these kind of experiences are extreme cases, and I highly doubt this happens a lot. In my opinion, those who mistreat FDWs are few and far in between, often being played up by the media to stir up controversies. Yes, the media has a big part to play in all this; after all, what could be more powerful than seeing “MAID’S HAND IRONED” in big, bold words on the cover page of The New Paper? These news usually give status conferral to something that is not that big an issue. Singapore is so small, there’s not much of controversial or breaking news, so some of these news are exaggerated to sell well.

To confirm what I believe, I decided to interview a random FDW myself.

Last Sunday, I decided to carry out my investigation and went over to Lucky Plaza – a well-known hang-out place for maids – to interview a maid. That’s where I met Maricel, a 24-year-old Filipino FDW. When we approached to ask her for an interview, she warmly agreed. We found out that she has been working in Singapore for close to six years, and her employers are very nice to her. She never even faced any discrimination or abuse from her family at all. Here is an excerpt of the interview:

Me: How do Singaporeans treat you here?
Maricel: Very good to me. Friendly.

Me: Ok… honestly, what did you think Singaporeans think of you? Any differently?
Maricel: Some… they look down on us. Some… they respect us also. Not everybody…

Me: What do you feel about Singaporeans here?
Maricel: They are very friendly… supportive also.

Me: So the family you’re working with, they are very supportive? Very nice?
Maricel: Very nice to me.

Me: Do they give you very regular off days? Like every Sunday?
Maricel: No… Once a month only. But if I want to go out, then I will let them know… And they will be okay with it.

Me: Oh… so you get to call home? They will let you call home?
Maricel: Yah…

Me: Then do you have your meals with them?
Maricel: Yah… Sometimes I eat first because they say if I hungry then don’t need to wait for them.

As mentioned, Maricel is actually treated well. Her employers even let her have dinner before them because they don’t want her to wait up for them when they come home late from work or school.

However, there are some issues where the FDWs or employers themselves are at fault. The maids could develop some sort of hatred for their employers, and this could actually create a spark for a conflict. Why, one might ask? I believe we have to look for the answers ourselves, by reflecting on how we’ve treated them. After all, they are only humans who have problems and need rest just like everyone else.

So to conclude, I believe that all the hype about abusive Singaporean employers are just blown out of proportions. There are many kind-hearted families out there who treat their maids as their own family member and take good care of them, so much so that they get taken advantage of sometimes. But that is another issue to be discussed on another day.

That is all I have for now. This is Sahira, summing up my oral report for the FDWs abuse in Singapore.