Chong Ching Liang's Story (SAMPLE POSTING)

Broadcast Date: 10/07/03


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See the world, work in a foreign country ?

But theres a catch you are on call 24 hours with only one day off per month.

Oh, and you are only paid between 150 and 230 Singapore dollars.

Still interested? Then welcome to the world of foreign domestic workers in Singapore!

Last Saturday, the TWC-2, brought together all stakeholders for a conference on the welfare of foreign domestic workers.

TWC-2 member, Constance Singam says people only see the sensational and not the mundane problems of the domestic workers.

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"We only know about the extreme cases of abuse which comes to our attention when its reported int he papers. And something we want to do is to raise awareness that on the daily basis what we do about getting them to wash the car, making them work at all hours of the day, waking them up at 11 o'clock when somebody comes home late to feed, keeping their passports, and not paying them wages and keeping their wages so they have no control over their wages. All these are what we called quiet indignities."

Quiet indignities or acquired indignities.

It is more than employer acting beyond the limits of employment laws but also institutionalised insensitivity.

Chairperson of the group and Nominated MP, Braema Mathi.

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"we have labelled as acquired indignities whereby you scold the person 'you stupid! how many times have I got to tell you this' I shout at the person, I give her leftovers to eat because that is what she is worthy of, I do not buy her any new things, I do not even wish her happy birthday on her birthday... All these small things whereby we're taking away her humanness."

The first step to change may be to ensure that the domestic worker recruitment agencies treat their clients both the employers and the domestic workers with equal respect.

The treatment now is decidely lopsided, and it doesnt help that agents sometimes "sweeten" the deal for employers, says Braema.

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"If you have agencies that can display ads for zero fee, zero day off Indonesian maids etc then we have some recalcitrants out there that needs to come under some kind of governance. We acknowledge that the MOM is improving the situation but at the same time I think more needs to be done."

Sometimes, when a tragedy happens, the domestic workers find a common voice and organise to improve their working conditions.

Law-making on the Singapore side must also provide greater protection vis-a-vis tougher employment laws governing domestic workers.

Constance says stronger laws will help usher in changes.

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"Legislation is important because it is the fore-runner of attitudinal changes. And you need to force people to behave in such a way and then you begin to think."

But why don't domestic workers report physical abuse?

Debt bondage of course.

The domestic workers have to pay lots of money to get to Singapore and this made them captive to their employers.

Braema explains.

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"The domestic workers bearing the costs of what the agencies put out in her home country, the sending country and the receiving country and sometimes she also takes on the burden of the employers. And therefore she can go on for a period of sometimes 6 and some instances up to a year without any wages for herself. We are very close sometimes to considering do we have a subtext kind of slave work that is going on."

So what can be done?

The most crucial thing is to offer a helpline to embattled domestic workers says TWC-2 coordinator, Elaine Ho.

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"The different stakeholders in this issue, the agents, the foreign domestic workers and employers, they can come to this one-stop centre where we can provide certain services like mediation, we also direct them to support services for example if a maid is distress, we can direct them to the appropriate shelter. Its putting every thing to gether under one umbrella so that so that people don't have to go to the left, go to the right, you know, all over the place to look for an avenue that they can turn to."

The next is to develop a different model of employment.

Perhaps the foreign domestic worker sector can live in dormitories and be ferried to work at the employers.

This way, proper working hours will be met and physical abuses can be detected faster.

The plus side is that employees will be better matched to employers jobwise.

Something that may not become a reality so soon.

Braema says they can only try.

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"We know what we are up against but if we don't do it then my simple question is when are we going to do it? And what are we going to wait for? For another 18 year old with 200 injuries and for a neighbour to say 'I don't want to interfere'. That is what brought us together and the neighbours comment really made us feel that we cannot be like that."

Ultimately, the foreign domestic workers' lot will be elevated if Singaporeans remember two simple things, first they are employees, and second but the more important point, that they are Human beings.

This is Chong Ching Liang for Newsradio 938.