THE CICAK.com

Why are foreign maids treated worse than animals?

Art by CHUAN ZUI

By RACHEL CHAN SUET KAY

It’s “Visit Malaysia Year” and the government is working hard to promote our country as the tourist destination in Asia. They are trying to get word-out about Malaysia’s hospitality toward foreigners.

Unfortunately, all the money being spent on promotional campaigns will not clear up the bad press about our country - that some foreigners are being beaten and scalded with hot water.

Who are they?

Our foreign maids.

A simple Google search on the term “maid abuse” will direct you to such atrocities in Malaysia. How did this come to be? How did Malaysians who have never been through slavery conduct such vile and despicable acts?

Maids. Employers. Aren’t we all human beings? Can’t we treat our maids as equals?

In 2004, Indonesian maid Nirmala Bonat, 19, was doused with boiling water for breaking a mug and her breasts seared with an iron for not ironing clothes to her employer’s satisfaction. It got a lot of press, and complaints were made by Indonesian MPs.

Late last month, we had another case. Indonesian maid Ceriyati Dapin lowered herself from a fifteen storey apartment to escape from her employer, who allegedly abused her, according to AFP.

This phenomenon deserves to be equated with the slave trade of the 15th century. Indonesian maids are physically and sometimes sexually abused, denied their wages, and forced to live in inhumane conditions.

Why are some Malaysians treating maids worst than animals?

How did maid abuse become such a widespread phenomenon?

A study conducted by Malaysia’s Women’s Aid Organization highlights a number of factors that make foreign domestic workers susceptible to abuse. Foreign maids are usually isolated from the public and don’t get fair employment contracts. And to top it off, many Malaysians view foreign labour negatively. According to WAO, “Foreign domestic workers are often viewed as culturally inferior, sometimes ‘less than human,’ and not considered as deserving of the same respect and consideration given to other human beings.”

Maids are also accused of being thieves, husband-stealers and morally loose. Does this justify the inhumane treatment accorded to them? After all it is the employer’s prerogative whether to hire a maid or not.

Women resort to violence and vent their frustrations on maids because they are subservient and are the easiest targets, according to Anthony Chang, a lecturer from the National University of Singapore.

Foreign maids in Malaysia are in many ways akin to slaves in ancient Greece and Rome. They free up time for middle-class Malaysians to socialize, participate in politics and for them to go about their daily affairs. And despite all their hardwork, maids are considered less than equal. They are treated like scum.

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RACHEL CHAN SUET KAY is a contributing writer for theCICAK.

Rachel, 22, aspires to be a social scientist. Visit her site.

CHUAN ZUI is a graphic artist for theCICAK.

Zui is almost an Otaku but hates big-chested anime characters. He is a twisted weirdo because of his islander kiasuness, a result of living his early childhood in Singapore. Zui is an artist of few words. Visit his site.