Maid into slaves

2010/05/20

MOST Malaysians would be shocked at the idea that slavery is still alive and well in this country in this day and age. Those who can afford to hire live-in maids to mind their children, cook their food, clean their homes, iron their clothes and wash their cars would take great offence at charges that they treat their servants like slaves, when they come willingly, are paid a wage, and are not beaten, burnt, or clapped in chains. In part this is because the word conjures up old images of cotton-picking, market auctions, bull whips and manacles.

But this is not the stuff of modern-day servitude. And neither is it confined to the selling of women and children to brothels. There are many forms of human trafficking -- the term more commonly used to describe human bondage in its contemporary incarnation -- and its defining characteristic is not the ownership of people as chattel to be traded as in the past but the inhumanity of the indignities imposed on another human being.

While maids in this country may not literally be under lock and key, they are virtually in chains as they are not free to come and go -- their passports are in the hands of their employers or somebody else. By any definition, this is slavery, and so are the gruelling hours, with few breaks and no days of rest, which the maids work. This is a gross violation of their rights as workers and a grave affront to their dignity as human beings.

Like it or not, we have to confront the uncomfortable reality that foreign maids may be living in bondage in our homes or next door. We can no longer ignore the exploitation of this underclass of domestic helpers who have been keeping our homes well-run. And as long as there is a darker side to the best of people, we cannot leave their fate to the milk of human kindness.

Fortunately, there is now a letter of intent between Malaysia and Indonesia to let the maids keep their passports and to provide them with days off. The challenge now is to find common ground on the outstanding issues of fair wages and recruiting fees. While it is vital for Malaysia to provide legal protection to maids, it is equally important for Indonesia to exercise more control over the practices of the recruiting agencies and the training they conduct.

Above all, what is required is political will and fresh political direction to navigate the frenetic and fractious cross-border debate on immigration.

Read more: Maid into slaves http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/16leaderab5/Article/#ixzz0oSCaFnjr

Importing maids, exporting talents

Opinion 2010-05-20 13:35

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday (18 May) on the new terms of the maids’ employment, including giving them a day off a week and allowing them to keep their passports.

It is understood that Indonesia has suggested a minimum wage of RM600 for maids but it requires further discussions.

Several high-profile abuse cases have created great discussions over the welfare of Indonesian maids. Also, the Indonesian government has earlier imposed a freeze on sending maids to Malaysia since they are not receiving fair treatment here. On the other hand, cases involving Indonesian maids, including runaways, stealth and abuse of children can also be heard from time to time.

Based on the information, we have some 300,000 legal and illegal Indonesian maids and most of them are responsible for housework and taking care of children, elders and patients. They are actually contributing a lot to our society. Unfortunately, some employers treat them as slaves and as a result, a lot of complaints are made.

It is a fact that Malaysia does not pay high for maids. To be fair, allowing maids, who belong to the vulnerable groups in the society, to enjoy a minimum wage, a day-off a week and a better working environment is just meeting the minimum international labour standards, there should be no controversy at all.

However, some employers are concerned that whether they have neglected the welfare of employers while making an agreement to protect the basic welfare of maids. For example, who should be responsible for the losses if the maid runs away?

Maids run away with various strange reasons, and it is not necessarily because they have been abused or treated unfairly. A friend of mine treated her maids like friends but the first two of her maids ran away with their boyfriends. She got the third maid but found that the maid was suffering from venereal disease and it caused endless worries to her family.

Every time when she applied for a maid, my friend paid the maid advanced salary. Together with agency and visa fees, she had to spend about RM7000 for a maid. She really suffered a great loss as three of the maids were not satisfactory.

In the long run, the memorandum of understanding signed by Malaysian and Indonesia can help us solve the maid dispute. It is a good thing. But the market is realistic. When the welfare and treatment for maids have been improved, their quality must be improved, too. The market may also shift to other countries for cheaper maids.

Another problem that we should think about is, why are we losing millions of talents at the same time when we are importing up to 2 millions of Indonesian labours and maids?

(By LIM MUN FAH/ Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE/ Sin Chew Daily

Employer, Maid Can Still Negotiate Weekly Off Day - Najib

May 20, 2010 14:47 PM
By: Ramjit

KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 (Bernama) -- Malaysian employers and their Indonesian maids can still negotiate the requirement for an off day a week and come up with mutually-agreed arrangement, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said.He said if both sides agreed, the maids need not take an off day and they would be paid salary in lieu of the off day."If we have concerns, we can still negotiate," he told reporters after opening the ground breaking ceremony of Utusan Melayu (M) Berhad's new headquarters at Jalan Chan Sow Lin, here on Thursday.

Najib said this when asked to comment on concerns that the one-day off for maid could give rise to social problem."There should be a compromise or else how are we going to have the supply of maid?" he said.On Tuesday, Malaysia and Indonesia signed a letter of intent, which requires Malaysian employers to give their Indonesian maids a day off a week and that if the maids agreed not to take the off day, they would be paid salaries instead.

Najib said Malaysian families were increasingly in need of maid especially if the husband and wife were working.Asked whether the setting up of more nurseries could help ease the demand for maid among working couples, Najib said it was likely that these couples would still need the service of a maid.-- BERNAMA

Hiring of Indonesian maids to resume soon

2010/02/01

GEORGE TOWN: The freeze on the supply of Indonesian maids to Malaysia is expected to be lifted this month.

Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam is hopeful a meeting with Indonesia this month will resolve the issue. He said Malaysians could hire Indonesian maids when their salary packages were finalised."Our aim is to reduce the salaries Malaysians have to pay for the maids.

We have held two meetings with them and hope to reach an amicable solution soon," Dr Subramaniam said.Indonesian maids account for 80 per cent of the 280,000 foreign domestic helpers in the country. They receive a salary of between RM500 and RM600 a month.Indonesia stopped the supply of maids to Malaysia in June last year in a move to obtain higher pay for them.

Subramaniam was speaking after attending the opening of the state MIC service centre at Jalan Datuk Keramat and the launch of the state MIC website here yesterday.

Indonesian Maids to have weekly day off

Friday, 04 September 2009

Indonesian maids in Malaysia to have weekly day off
AFP - Thursday, September 3·

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - – Indonesian maids working in Malaysia will be given one day off a week and be allowed to hold onto their passports, the home ministry said Thursday, in a new deal triggered by a string of abuse case.

Indonesia imposed a ban on sending maids to work here in June, after a 43-year-old Malaysian woman was charged with causing grievous bodily harm by beating her Indonesian maid and scalding her with boiling water.

Malaysia's Home Ministry said in a statement that the new terms were agreed by senior Malaysian and Indonesian officials who met in August."The meeting has agreed that Indonesian maids will be allowed to keep their passport when they are working in this country," it said.

Currently, employers typically hold onto maids' passports, to prevent them running away or to exercise control over them."The Indonesian maids also will be given one day off a week," it added.The ministry said the committee thrashing out the new working conditions will hold a fourth meeting in Jakarta this Saturday, which will tackle the hotly debated topic of maids' wages.

The issue of wages has remained unresolved despite talks that have been held intermittently since 2007.Malaysia -- one of Asia's largest importers of labour -- depends heavily on domestic workers, mainly from Indonesia, but has no laws governing their working conditions.

The government in May announced plans for new laws to protect domestic workers from sexual harassment, non-payment of wages and poor working conditions. Currently Indonesian maids typically work seven days a week for as little as 400 ringgit (113 dollars).

Employers Must Surrender Passport

Thursday, 18 June 2009

Employers Must Surrender Passport If Requested By MaidsBy:

PUTRAJAYA, June 17 (Bernama) -- Employers holding on to the passport of their foreign maids must surrender the travel document if requested by the maids.Failure to surrender the passport on the request will result in a RM10,000 fine under amendments to the Employment Act 1955.

Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam, in announcing this here today, however, said foreign maids could only request for their passport, which was kept for security and other legitimate reasons, to be used for official use like the renewal of their visa."If the maid wants to leave and requests for the passport, it should be handed to her.

The amendments also put the onus on the employer to ensure that the visa of the domestic helper is renewed on time."If the visa is not renewed, then the employer is also liable to a fine," he told a press conference after meeting the Indian Human Resource Development Minister, Kapil Sibal, at a leading hotel here.Tuesday, Dr Subramaniam announced that under the amendments to the Employment Act, all foreign maids would be entitled to one day leave a week."We discussed with a lot of people before making this change. It is not something new as it is already in our Employment Act.

Only maids, except those from the Philippines, have been exempted from this ruling."The off day may not necessarily be a Sunday or a public holiday. It can be mutually agreed upon by the maid and the employer. This move was requested not only by the government but also workers' representatives and non-governmental organisations," he said.Dr Subramaniam said employers, with the mutual consent of their maids, could also compensate them if they were not given leave.The ministry, he said, would provide a booklet to each foreign maid entering the country, containing all important information including their rights and legal recourse in case of any problem in their employment."If there is a breach of contract by the employer, then the maid with the aid of the booklet will be able to lodge a report with the relevant authority," he said.

Meanwhile, he said the government had yet to decide whether to allow maids from China to work in Malaysia."Initially, when we looked at this, it received opposition from several quarters of the Chinese community, but now we don't know if the situation has changed," he added.

-- BERNAMA

Indonesia is asking RM800 wage for maids

Published: Saturday September 5, 2009 MYT 6:11:00 PM
By SARBAN SINGH

SEREMBAN: Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam has confirmed that Indonesia is demanding a RM800 minimum salary for its domestic maids, saying that it is under “pressure” to do so from the republic’s local media.

Dr Subramaniam said the Indonesian government had little choice but to do so following reports by its media of so-called rampant abuse of maids by Malaysian employers.
He said the RM800 wage demand was discussed during a meeting between ministry officials and their Indonesian counterparts in Putrajaya two weeks ago.
“We told them that this is not fair as 99.9% of the 280,000 Indonesian maids here are treated well.
“Only 0.1% may be ill-treated or not have their salaries paid but they (the Indonesian government) are being pressured by their media,” he said here Saturday.
Indonesian maids in the country are now being paid an average of between RM450 and RM600 monthly.

Asked if he thought the amount was high, Subramaniam said the ministry would wait for the outcome of the next meeting in Jakarta.
“I do not want to pre-empt it. I have told my officers what they should do. Let us wait and see if this is agreed to by our Indonesian counterparts,” he said.

Dr Subramaniam was responding to reports quoting Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia Da’i Bachtiar as saying that Jakarta would be making the higher wage demand in its negotiations.
Asked if his ministry had contingency plans in case Jakarta refused to budge, Dr Subramaniam said Malaysian employers could source their domestic maids from other countries.
“We should also stop relying on foreign maids. It is high time we become self-reliant.
“We allow employers to bring in maids from Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. “We have also thought about China but there have been some debate here if this should be allowed,” he said.

Dr Subramaniam said it was also a known fact that when the government of a source country had asked for exorbitant wages for their maids, the demand from Malaysians would fall.
“We used to have more than 10,000 maids from the Philippines previously. The number has since fallen to 8,000. Malaysians have a choice where they wish to get their maids from,” he added.

RAMADHAN AL-MUBARAK BERTANDANG LAGI....

Salam Ramadhan Al Mubarak to all....

Rasulullah s.a.w bersabda :
“Barangsiapa yang berpuasa pada bulan Ramadhan dengan penuh keimanan dan mengharapkan pahala daripada Allah, dosanya yang telah lalu telah diampuni (oleh Allah)”
(Diriwayatkan oleh al-Bukhari dalam Shahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman – no : 38)

Rasulullah s.a.w bersabda :

“Demi Dzat yang jiwaku berada dalam genggaman-Nya, bau mulut orang yang berpuasa lebih baik di sisi Allah daripada aroma (haruman) minyak kasturi”
(Diriwayatkan oleh al-Bukhari dalam Shahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Shaum – no: 1894)

Rasulullah s.a.w bersabda :
“Sesungguhnya di syurga terdapat pintu yang dinamakan al-Rayyan. Orang-orang yang berpuasa akan masuk melalui pintu itu pada hari Kiamat. Tidak ada seseorang pun yang akan masuk melalui pintu ini kecuali mereka .Dikatakan: Mana orang-orang yang berpuasa? Lalu mereka semua berdiri. Tidak ada seorang pun yang masuk melalui pintu ini selain mereka. Apabila mereka semua telah masuk, pintu ini akan ditutup dan tidak ada seorang pun yang akan masuk melaluinya”
(Diriwayatkan oleh al-Bukhari dalam Shahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Shaum – no: 1896)

Abu Umamah r.a berkata:
“Aku bertanya kepada Rasulullah s.a.w: Ya Rasulullah! Tunjukkan kepadaku satu amalan yang membolehkan aku memasuki syurga dengan cara itu. Lalu Rasulullah s.a.w bersabda: Kamu hendaklah berpuasa kerana sesungguhnya tidak ada satu cara pun yang mampu menandinginya”
(Diriwayatkan oleh Ibn Hibban – no: 3494)

Sabda Rasulullah s.a.w :
“(Allah s.w.t berfirman) : Sesungguhnya dia (hamba) meninggalkan makan dan minum serta syahwatnya kerana-KU. Puasa (yang dia kerjakan adalah) kerana-KU. Puasa adalah untuk-KU. Sedangkan, AKU memberi balasan setiap kebaikan itu dengan sepuluh kali ganda sehingga 700 kali ganda kecualiibadah puasa. Ini kerana, ia (puasa) adalah untuk-KU dan (sudah tentu) AKU sendiri yang akan memberi balasannya”
(Diriwayatkan oleh Imam Malik dalam al-Muwaththa’, Kitab al-Shiyam – no: 603)

Sabda Rasulullah s.a.w :
“Setiap amal kebaikan anak Bani Adam pahalanya (dicatat oleh malaikat) kecuali puasa. Sesungguhnya ia adalah untuk-KU dan AKUlah yang memberi pahala puasanya”
(Diriwayatkan oleh al-Bukhari dalam Shahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Libas – no: 5927)

Al-Hafidz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani r.h berkata mengenai hadis di atas:
“Ibadah puasa ini dianggap sebagai ibadah khusus untuk Allah kerana iabebas daripada unsur riak. Ini kerana, perlaksanaannya tidak dapat dilihat oleh mata kasar manusia. Orang yang sedang berpuasa dan orang yang tidak berpuasa sama sahaja dari segi luarannya. Berbeza dengan ibadah sepertisolat, membaca al-Quran, berzikir atau bersedekah yang mana perlaksanaannya dapat dilihat secara terbuka dan membuka ruang timbulnya perasaan riak. Oleh itu al-Imam al-Qurtubi r.h berkata: Disebabkan semua amal perbuatanyang ada ini dapat dimasuki unsur riak, sedangkan puasa itu hanya dilakukan semata-mata kerana Allah, tidak hairanlah Allah menisbbahkan puasa itu kepada diri-Nya”
(Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani dalam Fath al-Baari, jilid 11, halaman 20)

Sebar-sebarkanlah risalah ini. Rasulullah s.a.w bersabda
“Sesiapa yang menunjukkan suatu kebaikan, maka dia akan memperoleh pahala (sama) seperti pelakunya ”

Riwayatkan oleh Muslim, at-Tirmizi, Ibn Hibban, al-Baihaqi
dan at-Thabrani daripada Ibnu Mas’ud al-Badri r.a)

MAID ABUSE IN MALAYSIA: Shelter full of horror stories

Submitted by chang on Friday, June 12th, 2009

Embassy believes there are many other unreported cases
Friday, June 12th, 2009 10:27:00

HOME AWAY FROM HOME: One of the bedrooms for women at the Indonesian Embassy shelter

FOR every Siti Hajar, there are many others who suffer in silence, their stories untold. If you thought that maid abuse is a rare case in our supposedly genteel society, think again — it’s more rampant than you think.

Think cheating employers who shortchange their maids and deny them wages. Think employers who bring out the cane and beat their maids black and blue. Think employers who rape their maids and make them bear their children.

It's a horror story that not many will want to hear but this is the true picture of how sick Malaysians can be.
Second secretary (consular affairs) at the Indonesian Embassy in Malaysia, Susapto Anggoro Broto, has seen and heard it all at the embassy's shelter, located behind the embassy’s building on Jalan Tun Razak.

Susapto said a Taskforce for Services and Protection of Indonesians was formed in 2007 to deal with problems faced by their nationals. For these cases, the process of settling them can be quite lengthy as the women will be required to help in police investigations and to attend court hearings. The shelter then becomes their temporary home.

HELPING THEMSELVES: Women at the Indonesian Embassy’s shelter make their own meals daily. Currently there are 162 in a shelter bulit to accommodate 75. They have to make do.

“Many ran away and came to us for help but I'm sure that all the cases we have here are just the tip of the iceberg.
“There are many more who continue to suffer because they were unable to escape,” he said.
Susapto said Malaysia received the most complaints for being terrible employers compared with countries like Taiwan, Hong Kong or Singapore. "

--------------------------------------------------------------------

In Comments

No more small talk, arrest and hold them till the case is done

Is it any wonder Malaysians have nothing to say about this. I am absolutely horrified to learn of this state of affairs and Malaysian attitude towards the maids. I have seen maids being provided rooms, if they are lucky enough to have one, with no windows and ventilation. I was shocked to view a few houses in such state, when looking for a home to buy.

No human should be treated in such manner, by another.When one is employed one pays for their skills and time and ability to do a task. Their dignity, respect, honour, body and mental well being are not part of the payment.They are areas to be respected by another individual.
I feel so sad that Malaysian society has been lowered itself so much, and have lost the respect for another individual, simply because they think they pay their wages, they own them, and can abuse them to one heart's delight.Very wrong thinking. Disgusting ....is all I can think...to treat another human being in such a manner.

I know of a family who have come back from abroad, do NOT employ a maid when they can ..as they feel...that they cannot condone the manner maids are treated in Malaysia, and do not wish to be part of the evil culture that mistreats people...Submitted by GS Dhaliwal on Saturday, June 13th, 2009other countries, domestic workers get better wages and are treated better.”

Submitted by CHOY SIEW on Saturday, June 13th, 2009.

*WSC*

Indonesia may suspend sending domestic maids to M’sia

Dear Clients, friends and Guess, Salam to all,

This came in the news today...Time and again I've been giving advise to clients, if you have good and trusworthy maids, be thankful for what you have. Giving some small incentive or salary increase is nothing compared to having to hire a new one. For those who don't, please do not abuse your maids for whatever reason it may be...others will suffer (me included) if the Indonesian Govt resorted to the decision below. Please have a heart....

Wasalam
*WSC*
--------------------------------------------------------------------
JAKARTA: Indonesia may temporarily stop sending domestic helpers to Malaysia after an Indonesian maid was recently reported to have been tortured, Indonesia's Antara news agency reported.

"We will likely stop it (dispatch of domestic helpers) temporarily. But we will first invite relevant ministers and parties to a meeting on June 23 to make a preliminary evaluation," Antara quoted Manpower and Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno as saying here on Thursday.
Among those to be invited to the meeting were the state minister for women's empowerment, the foreign minister, the law and human rights minister, the home affairs minister, the national police chief and the Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia as well as Malaysian representatives, he said.

As the decision to be taken at the meeting would have a systemic impact, his ministry could not decide on the dispatch of domestic helpers on its own without the input from other parties, he said. "But I want it (the dispatch of domestic helpers) stopped until there is a response from the Malaysian government on protection of Indonesian migrant workers there," he said.
The plan to temporarily stop the dispatch of domestic helpers was the government's response to a myriad of problems being faced by Indonesian workers in Malaysia.

One of the latest of such problems arose from an incident befalling domestic helper Siti Hajar who came from Limbangan, Garut, West Java.
Suparno had earlier said delegations from the two countries were scheduled to hold talks on July 15 to discuss various problems facing Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia.
At the meeting, the Indonesian delegation would propose reviewing several clauses in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the manpower field both sides signed early this year. The clauses, among others, relate to protection of Indonesian migrant workers and their rights as well as improvement of their salaries.

"If no agreement on the protection of Indonesian migrant workers is reached, we will consider putting a temporary stop to the dispatch of domestic helpers," the minister said.

He said he discussed the protection of migrant workers with Malaysian Minister of Human Resources Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam early this month when they attended the 98th International Labour Conference in Geneva. - Bernama