Indonesian domestic helpers say they face regular violence and mental abuse at the hands of their employers – then get tied up in red tape when they try to complain. Indonesian domestic helpers say they face regular violence and mental abuse at the hands of their employers – then get tied up in red tape when they try to complain.

Several women broke their silence yesterday as their support group called on the SAR and Indonesian governments to draw up a blacklist of employers and employment agencies.

There are 135,000 Indonesian domestic helpers in the city, the biggest single group after Filipinos.

One helper said her employer kicked and slapped her regularly, and on at least one occasion, tried to strangle her with his bare hands, because of “substandard” work. She was also stabbed with chopsticks, then had her pay cut to less than HK$300 a month – the legal minimum wage is HK$3,580.

Another helper, Tunipah, 26, started work here in October 2006, and is taking legal action against her abusive employer.

“I’ve been waiting for 19 months in [a] shelter because the labor department officer wants me to become a witness in my underpayment case,” said Tunipah, who received just HK$2,200 a month.

Yesterday, the Indonesian Migrant Workers Union, and the Hong Kong Coalition of Indonesian Migrants Workers Organization launched a campaign aimed at stopping such abuse.
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SERINAH HO

The Standard
Friday, July 10, 2009

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