Boss jailed after maid loses five fingers to bakery mincer
Mastura Abdul Khalil (left) was sentenced to four weeks' jail and fined $10,400, while her husband Affendi B. Husain (right) was fined $8,700. PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS
The woman asked a domestic helper - hired by her husband to do household chores - to help out at her bakery.
The maid allegedly suffered a finger injury while using an electric mincer but that did not stop bakery owner Mastura Abdul Khalil - two years later - to get another maid, Ms Rabiah Baharuddin Abdul, to work in the bakery.
While using the same mincer, Ms Rabiah suffered a more serious injury. All the fingers on the Indonesian's right hand had to be amputated.
related:
Jail, fine for food stall operator after maid lost four fingers in meat grinder accident
Lim Sheng Song was sentenced to two weeks' jail and fined $19,000 after failing to ensure the maid's safety. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
A domestic helper who was asked to double up as a kitchen assistant lost four fingers while she was using an electric meat grinder.
Stall operator Lim Sheng Song, now 59, was on Friday (Oct 8) sentenced to two weeks' jail and fined $19,000 after failing to ensure her safety.
The Singaporean pleaded guilty to offences including two charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act and one under the Workplace Safety and Health Act.
Fatal maid abuse: Apex court rejects woman’s request for records to support her appeal against 30-year jail term
(Left) An old picture of Piang Ngaih Don. (Right) Gaiyathiri Murugayan (centre) being led by investigators to her Bishan flat in 2016 for a re-enactment of how Piang died
Gaiyathiri Murugayan, who was sentenced to 30 years’ jail last year for viciously abusing her domestic worker for several months till she died in 2016, took to the Court of Appeal on Wednesday (May 4) to seek more records in support of her appeal.
However, three appellate judges denied the 42-year-old Singaporean’s request after a short hearing, ruling that these records — such as complaints that she was allegedly abused in prison — were irrelevant to her appeal. Gaiyathiri's appeal against her sentence for killing 24-year-old Myanmarese Piang Ngaih Don, in what a High Court judge called one of the worst cases of culpable homicide to come before the courts, has not been heard yet.
The case sparked widespread ire from the public when details of the abuse that Piang endured were revealed for the first time in February last year, after Gaiyathiri pleaded guilty to 28 offences.
related: STORIES ON "MAID ABUSE"
30 years' jail for woman who starved and tortured Myanmar maid to death
Gaiyathiri Murugayan (left) admitted to starving, torturing and ultimately killing Piang Ngaih Don.PHOTOS: HELPING HANDS FOR MIGRANT WORKERS, LIANHE WANBAO
A 41-year-old housewife who starved, tortured and ultimately killed her domestic worker from Myanmar stared blankly into space as she was sentenced to 30 years' jail on Tuesday (June 22).
In sentencing Gaiyathiri Murugayan, High Court judge See Kee Oon said: "Words cannot describe the abject cruelty of the accused's appalling conduct."
He described the case as "among the worst type of culpable homicide", noting that the victim was made to suffer agonising harm for a long time before she died.
Couple jailed for beating maid, forcing her to drink water from toilet bowl
Getting hit with a saucepan, kicked in the stomach and having faeces rubbed in her face - these were some instances of abuse Indonesian national Sri Rahayu was put through, just months after becoming a foreign domestic worker in Singapore.
The couple she worked for, Ooi Wei Voen and her husband Pang Chen Yong, both 37, pleaded guilty on Monday (Aug 30) to a total of seven charges of abusing her. Ooi was sentenced to 20 months in prison, while Pang was handed a four-month jail term.
The court heard that Ms Sri Rahayu began working for the couple in April 2017. They have a son aged two at the time and a nine-month-old girl. Around July that year, Pang and Ooi began to hit the 33-year-old maid when she failed to complete the housework to their satisfaction.
related:
Woman used criminal force on maid despite knowing she was abused by former employer
Pooh Yee Peng (pictured) pleaded guilty to one count of criminal force on Ms Ma Khaing and was fined $2,000. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
A university administrative assistant knew that her domestic helper had been physically abused by a former employer.
Despite this, Pooh Yee Peng ill-treated Ms Ma Khaing, 32, and shoved the Myanmar national's face three times on May 8 last year. Three days later, she used a chopstick to tap the maid's knee and head.
The 47-year-old Singaporean pleaded guilty on Friday (Nov 26) to one count of criminal force on Ms Ma Khaing and was fined $2,000. A second charge of using criminal force on the maid was considered during sentencing.
related:
Two more maid abuse cases come before the courts
In one, the employer was acquitted of abuse (TWC2 is not taking issue with this finding — we respect that sometimes it is the employer who is wronged). See the story in Today: ‘Man acquitted of abusing maid after judge finds she had motive to lie, wanted a transfer‘. In the other, the employer was unsuccessful in her appeal against a prison sentence that had been meted out for abusing her domestic worker. See: ‘High Court rejects maid abuser’s appeal for mandatory treatment, upholds 6-month jail term‘.
The two cases, whilst vastly different in their details — which we won’t repeat here because they are largely irrelevant to the point we’re making — nonetheless had one thing in common. In both, the worker wanted out of her job. But our laws being what they are, she could not get another job without the current employer consenting to a transfer. Simply resigning would only result in her being repatriated.
7 of the worst maid abuse cases in Singapore
At left, Piang Ngaih Don in an undated photo and her burial in Myanmar, at right. Photos: Helping Hands for Migrant Workers Singapore/Facebook
Singapore has had some heinous crimes involving hurting and even killing helpless domestic workers trying to earn a puny amount of money on this island.
Over 250,000 foreign domestic workers were recruited in Singapore since 2018, according to 2019 statistics. They have to be at least 23 years old to be employed by the roughly one in five Singapore households to do all sorts of chores like cooking, cleaning, and even care-giving, and at times, dealing with violence. Several Singaporean families have been reported to vent their anger at the workers, even driving them to death. Forcing food down throats, burning skin with a hot iron, and breaking fingers, were among the most evil things Singapore employers have been reported of doing.
Here’s a roundup of some of the worst cases of maid abuse in Singapore’s history:
- Piang Ngaih Don - The most recent court case involves 24-year-old Piang Ngaih Don from Myanmar, who died from a brain injury in 2016.
- Khanifah - Things started off well for 32-year-old Khanifah from Indonesia after she was employed by Zariah Mohd Ali and her family in 2011.
- Moe Moe Than and Fitriyah - Two domestic helpers, Moe Moe Than, 33, from Myanmar and Fitriyah, 40, from Indonesia, braved 10 months of abuse in 2012.
- Sulis Setyowati - The abuse suffered by 24-year-old Sulis Setyowati from Indonesia was so harsh that she escaped from the Yishun flat by climbing down 15 stories from the balcony.
- Phyu Phyu Mar - In 2016, Myanmar national Phyu Phyu Mar, whose age was never made public, fell victim to abuse that lasted three months from yet another married couple.
- Amandeep Kaur - Amandeep Kaur, 32, from India was put through abuse since her first day of employment in 2016.
- Estabillo Soledad Agustin - A 42-year-old Filipino woman named Estabillo Soledad Agustin was assaulted by a 21-year-old after a dispute at home went wrong.
10 Nightmare Stories That Prove Maid Abuse Is Alive In Singapore
Foreign domestic workers come to Singapore in search of a better job to support their families back home. For years, Singaporeans have relied on domestic help to support their own families here. But behind closed doors, some maids suffer abuse at the hands of their employers. Read the cases of abuse that struck horror in the heartlands of Singapore:
- Solichah, Abused between 2011-2013 - A couple was sentenced in May 2015 for abusing their Indonesian domestic worker Solichah for slapping and threatening her from 2011 to 2013.
- Jonna Memeje Muegue, Abused in 2012 - 74 year-old retired radiographer and medicine technician, Lum Wai Lui punched, slapped and slammed her Filippino maid Jonna Memeje Muegue against the wall in 2012.
- Juwarti, Abused in 2010 - Chan Huey Fern, 33, abused her Indonesian maid, Juwarti, at her Buangkok flat between June and September 2010, punched Juwarti’s eyes when the maid felt sleepy while taking care of Huey Fern’s two young children.
- Rinonos Analyn Almoite, Abused in 2011 - Filipina maid Rinonos Analyn Almoite, 30 was abused by her employer in October 2011, one month after she began work.
- Lilis Sriyatun, Abused in 2009 - Housewife Soh Meiyun abused her Indonesian maid, Lilis Sriyatun, by using a bamboo pole to hit her back, head and thigh in 2009.
- Maricel Campos Malbas, Abused in 2014 - Filipino Maricel Campos Malbas was abused nine months into her job helping at the household of IT assistant Wong Ha Hing in 2014.
- Neni Lestari, Abused in 2013 - Ho Mei Li, a single mother who sells phone accessories, hit her maid for not hand-washing her children’s clothes in July 2013.
- Mustainah Munari, Abused in 2012 - A Singaporean woman, Nidhi Sinha, abused her Indonesia maid Mustainah Munari by using hot iron to hurt her legs and pouring hot water on her head.
- Unnamed Burmese helper , Abused in 2011 - Tutor Low Gek Hong, 37, abused her 17-year-old maid from Myanmar over three months from December 2011 to February 2013, scratched the Burmese helper on the face, arms and ears for being inefficient, and used a pair of scissors to poke the victim’s left shoulder.
- Tardem, Abused in 2012 - Indonesian maid Tardem was abused four times in one day, reprimanded by Noryanti Abdul Rahim, 40 for not closing the main door of her flat
Average of 270 maid abuse reports made each year from 2017 to 2020
Ms Piang Ngaih Don, a Myanmar national, died after being tortured by her employer. PHOTO: INTERNET
An average of 270 reports of abuse involving migrant domestic workers (MDWs) were made to the police each year between 2017 and 2020.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) revealed this when it responded to queries from The New Paper about the number of such cases as well as the number of calls received on its helpline. An MOM spokesman said enforcement action was taken in 43 per cent of the cases while no further action was required in 44 per cent of them. Investigations are ongoing for the remaining cases.
"A very small proportion of the calls made to the MOM helpline relate to abuse, which MOM refers to the police," the spokesman added. "Allegations of abuse are taken seriously and investigated by the police." Common queries on helpline calls touch on issues like salary, job scope and termination of employment.
550 complaints of illegal deployment of maids yearly from 2017 to 2019: MOM
Three quarters of the illegal deployment cases came from third party alerts, and a quarter were from maids themselves. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
This formed just 0.2 per cent of the over 236,000 employers of foreign domestic workers (FDWs) here.
Three quarters of the cases came from alerts by third parties, and a quarter were complaints made by the maids themselves, said MOM on Tuesday (Sept 8) in response to press queries.
Why are there so many cases of maid abuse in Singapore?
Around 60 percent of foreign domestic workers in Singapore are exploited by their employers, according to a 2017 survey. The study said the abuse comes in various forms ranging from verbal threats and being overworked to being beaten or deprived of food.
This is aligned to a recent 2019 survey by YouGov which found that one in seven Singaporeans reported personally witnessing a domestic worker being abused.
The number of reported abuse cases in Singapore has indeed been increasing rapidly. There were a total of 26 maid abuse cases filed in 2015. This is nearly double the 14 filed in 2012. You can read some of the horrible stories here.
Acquittal of maid warrants further investigation
Ms Parti Liyani and her lawyer Anil Balchandani at the Supreme Court on Oct 27 last year.PHOTO: ST FILE
The High Court judge who acquitted former domestic worker Parti Liyani last year of stealing from her employer has dismissed her application seeking compensation of $10,000 from the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC).
Justice Chan Seng Onn said on Monday (June 21) that Ms Parti has not succeeded in proving on a balance of probability that her prosecution was “frivolous or vexatious”.
The judge said in a 102-page judgment: “The decision to bring the charges against Parti was based on sufficient evidence such that there is a case fit to bring before the court.
Police officer's wife admits to killing Myanmar maid
Gaiyathiri Murugayan (centre), is escorted from her Bishan flat in 2016 after the death of her 24-year-old Myanmar domestic helper Piang Ngaih Don. Photo: Today Online
The wife of a Singaporean police officer has admitted to starving, torturing and ultimately killing her domestic worker from Myanmar. The worker reportedly weighed only 24kg (53lb) when she died from her injuries in the 2016 incident.
Prosecutors have called Gaiyathiri Murugayan's actions "evil and utterly inhumane". It is among a series of high-profile maid abuse cases in the wealthy city-state in recent years. Rights groups have raised concerns about how foreign domestic workers, many of whom come from neighbouring countries in Asia, have been treated.
On Tuesday, Ms Murugayan, 40, pleaded guilty in a Singapore court to 28 charges including culpable homicide against Piang Ngaih Don. If she is convicted, she could be jailed for life.
‘Utterly inhumane’: Singaporean admits to abusing, killing maid
A Singaporean woman has admitted to starving, assaulting and ultimately killing her domestic worker from Myanmar in what prosecutors called one of the worst cases of maid abuse in the city-state. The affluent financial hub is home to about 250,000 domestic workers who mostly come from poorer Asian countries, and stories of maltreatment are common.
But the abuse meted out against Piang Ngaih Don was particularly awful, with the helper stamped on, strangled, choked, battered with brooms, and burned with an iron. Gaiyathiri Murugayan, 40, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to 28 charges including culpable homicide against the 24-year-old maid. She will be sentenced at a later date and could be jailed for life.
“That one human being would treat another in this evil and utterly inhumane manner is cause for the righteous anger of the court, and the law must come down with full force,” prosecutors said.
HOME decries “horrific, dehumanising, and abhorrent” abuse of Myanmar maid
A Singapore charity for helping migrant workers has expressed shock at the death of a domestic worker, abused by her employer. The abuse suffered by Myanmar maid Ms Piang Ngaih Don, 24, was “horrific, dehumanising, and abhorrent”, said the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME).
In a statement on Wednesday (Feb 24), the organisation wrote: “HOME regularly encounters domestic workers who are not allowed rest days or phones, particularly during the first few months of employment”. “Such isolating practices make domestic workers vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. HOME has advocated for domestic workers to be allowed to live outside their employers’ houses. A live-out option will make them less vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse, and help regulate their working hours”, it added.
HOME said: “Domestic workers are recognised by our criminal law as vulnerable victims,” Their abusers face enhanced punishments. However, by that time, the domestic worker would have already been subject to the abuse, with serious and often long-term impact on her physical and mental well-being. While accountability and punishment are important, we must do more to protect domestic workers, with strong legislation and pre-emptive measures.”
Singapore woman who fatally abused Myanmar domestic worker pleads guilty, faces life
Constantly angry with her foreign domestic worker for being slow or unhygienic and eating too much, Gaiyathiri Murugayan installed closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in her Singapore flat to monitor the worker and her own young children. This proved to be her undoing, with the cameras capturing her repeatedly abusing Piang Ngaih Don, a 24-year-old Myanmar national, over nine months.
Piang was deprived of food and water, losing 15kg in the process. She weighed just 24kg when she died in July 2016. Gaiyathiri, 40, pleaded guilty to 28 charges in the High Court on Tuesday. These included culpable homicide not amounting to murder, wrongful restraint and causing hurt or grievous hurt to Piang. Justice See Kee Oon will consider another 87 similar charges for sentencing at a later date.
The prosecution, led by Deputy Chief Prosecutor Mohamed Faizal Mohamed Abdul Kadir, argued that the case was “especially heinous and especially horrific” enough to warrant life imprisonment. “This is a case where, simply put, words fail us. That one human being would treat another in this evil and utterly inhumane manner is cause for the righteous anger of the court,” it added.
Myanmar maid Piang Ngaih Don's death shows employer's ‘extreme cruelty’
Myanmar national Piang Ngaih Don. (PHOTO: Helping Hands for Migrant Workers, Singapore/Facebook)
The death of Myanmar maid Piang Ngaih Don in Singapore showed her employer's “extreme inhumanity” and “extreme cruelty”, said Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam on Thursday (25 February).
Speaking at a virtual doorstop alongside Manpower Minister Josephine Teo, Shanumugam said, “I’m sure I speak for many Singaporeans when I express our complete abhorrence at what happened.” His comments come after Gaiyathiri Murugayan, Piang’s employer, admitted in court on Tuesday to killing the 24-year-old maid from repeated choking. Gaiyathiri pleaded guilty to 28 charges involving culpable homicide, grievous hurt, hurt, wrongful restraint and criminal intimidation. The prosecution is pushing for a life jail sentence for Gaiyathiri.
Piang had 47 external injuries and 31 fresh scars all over her body through repeated abuse. She weighed just 24kg, having lost 38 per cent of her initial weight of 39kg at the time of her death. The multiple abuse incidents she had suffered included being burnt with heated iron, hit repeatedly, denied food, and others. “In fact, none of these words describe adequately what actually happened to her. She was starved and beaten to death. The bestiality of the conduct is shocking,” Shanmugam said.
Woman admits killing maid; starved her to 24kg and assaulted her almost daily in 'utterly inhumane' case
Gaiyathiri Murugaiyan. (Photo: Nisha Karyn)
Five months into her new maid's employment, a woman began abusing the domestic helper from Myanmar, punching and stamping on her and starving her until she was only 24kg.
In the days before the 24-year-old victim died of brain injury with severe blunt trauma to her neck, she was starved and tied to a window grille at night and assaulted if she tried to rummage for food from the dustbin.
Gaiyathiri Murugayan, 40, pleaded guilty on Tuesday (Feb 23) to 28 charges including culpable homicide, voluntarily causing grievous hurt by starvation, voluntarily causing hurt by a heated substance and wrongful restraint. Another 87 charges will be considered in sentencing. The prosecution is seeking life imprisonment - but the judge adjourned sentencing to a later date as he considers the case.
Husband of maid abuser is interdicted police officer, also facing charges
Gaiyathiri Murugayan (left) pleaded guilty to 28 charges that included culpable homicide not amounting to murder, wrongful restraint and causing hurt or grievous hurt to her domestic worker
Kevin Chelvam, the husband of Gaiyathiri Murugayan, who pleaded guilty on Tuesday (Feb 23) to violently abusing the couple’s 24-year-old domestic worker from Myanmar until she died, is a staff sergeant of police who has been suspended from service since Aug 8, 2016. Confirming this continued interdiction in a statement on Wednesday, the police also said: “He was charged in court on Aug 11, 2016 and faces multiple charges in connection with the case involving his domestic helper, Ms Piang Ngaih Don. As the court case is ongoing, we are unable to comment further.”
The five charges faced by Chelvam, 42, include voluntarily causing hurt to Piang — he lifted her off the ground by grabbing her hair — giving false information to a police investigator and removing evidence in the form of a closed-circuit television (CCTV) system. The police added that officers of the Singapore Police Force are expected to uphold the law and set a good example by maintaining high standards of discipline and integrity.
“The Singapore Police Force deals with officers who break the law severely, including charging them in court.”
FOREIGN MAID HELP SHOWER ELDERLY MAN & UPLOAD TO TIK TOK
Farha Tehseen and Mohammad Tasleem "lashed out" at their domestic helper as they saw her as a "poor performer"
A former female police officer who called her Muslim domestic helper “pig” and “dog”, in addition to physically abusing her, was jailed for two weeks on Tuesday (18 February).
In addition to her jail term, Nazriah Md Isa will also have to compensate the maid with $1,160, otherwise she will have to serve another week in prison. The 41-year-old had been a veteran officer of 21 years, before she resigned due to the charges she faced. She had held the Sergeant rank before she left the force.
She pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntarily causing hurt to her 36-year-old Indonesian maid, who had to throw pieces of paper from her unit to the first floor to plead for help.
read more
Woman jailed 1 year 3 months for repeatedly assaulting maid, breaking her nose
For more than two months in 2016, Jenny Chan Yun Hui rained blows on her Indonesian domestic helper, punching her so forcefully that she broke the maid’s nose.
Chan also punched Ms Rasi — who goes by one name — in the eyes multiple times, until her left eye was so swollen that she could not see out of it for about half an hour. Apart from the physical abuse, she forbade Ms Rasi to use a phone or speak to the neighbours.
A day after Ms Rasi finally managed to speak to another maid staying in the opposite condominium unit, she fled and sought help at the Indonesian embassy.
read more
Woman jailed 15 months for assaulting maid; sentence downgraded on compassionate grounds
Jenny Chan Yun Hui had pleaded guilty to three assault charges, including one count of causing grievous hurt, earlier this year in February.PHOTO: ST FILE
A woman who abused her Indonesian domestic helper, including breaking her nose and using a plastic bowl to hit her head, was sentenced to 15 months' jail on Tuesday (Nov 19).
Jenny Chan Yun Hui, 42, began sobbing in the dock as District Judge Eddy Tham meted out the sentence, which he said had been downgraded on compassionate grounds as she has major depressive disorder.
In his oral grounds, the judge acknowledged that Chan was going through a "stressful time" during the period of the offences, which started about two months after Ms Rasi, who goes by one name, started working for her in February 2016.
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Woman who punched maid's eyes, fractured her nose jailed 15 months
Jenny Chan Yun Hui, had punched and fractured Indonesian domestic worker Rasi’s nose. She also pinched Rasi’s ears and hit her head until they both bled. (PHOTO: Getty Images)
A woman who viciously abused her family’s maid was jailed 15 months on Tuesday (19 November).
Jenny Chan Yun Hui, had punched and fractured Indonesian domestic worker Rasi’s nose. She also pinched Rasi’s ears and hit her head until they both bled. Despite the injuries inflicted, Chan did not seek medical help for the 27-year-old and only applied ointment to the latter’s wounds. Chan also forbade Rasi, who goes by a single name, from using any phones and speaking to neighbours.
In mitigation, Chan’s lawyer Gary Low said his client paid Rasi a total of $12,330 in compensation, which “reflected her sincere and profound remorse for her transgressions”. He added that two psychiatrists had found Chan’s major depressive disorder to be a contributing factor in her abusive behaviour.
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Man repeatedly molested maid, told her he can give her 'anything she wants'
A man who was not on good terms with his wife repeatedly molested his foreign domestic worker, even telling her he could give her "anything she wants", but was rejected by the Indonesian woman who said she wished only to do the work of a domestic helper.
Malaysian Yau Terng Phun, 56, was sentenced to jail for 15 months and six weeks on Tuesday (Oct 29) after pleading guilty to two counts of molestation and a third charge of insulting the maid's modesty.
Another five charges of molesting the woman were taken into consideration during sentencing.
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Jail for man who molested maid and took pictures of her in toilet
A domestic helper chided her male employer for taking photos of her while she was in the toilet but instead of showing remorse, he molested her repeatedly a few weeks later.
Unable to tolerate the abuse, she fled from the Malaysian deliveryman's flat on May 29, 2017, and alerted the Ministry of Manpower the next day.
Yau Terng Phun, 56,was sentenced on Tuesday (Oct 29) to 15 months and six weeks' jail.
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Boss jailed after admitting to molesting maid
A domestic helper chided her male employer for taking photos of her while she was in the toilet, but instead of showing remorse, he molested her repeatedly a few weeks later.
Unable to tolerate the abuse, she fled from the Malaysian deliveryman's flat on May 29, 2017, and alerted the Ministry of Manpower the next day.
Yau Terng Phun, 56, was sentenced yesterday to 15 months and six weeks' jail. The Singapore permanent resident had earlier pleaded guilty to two molestation charges and one count of insulting the maid's modesty.
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Heartless Employer Only Gives Maid ONE Meal a Day, Splashes Water If She’s Not Up by 5am
In the video, Castina is visibly shaken as she recounts all the ways she’s been mistreated. Instead of providing for her basic necessities in exchange for her service, her employer reportedly only gives her one meal a day and will scold her if she asks for more
Too often, people tend to take for granted the domestic helpers that help us maintain our households. They cook, clean and tend to daily domestic issues that we are unable to attend to, so they should be given the same amount of respect that we give any working professional.
Unfortunately, some employers don’t recognise this and go about their days mistreating their domestic helpers.
One such case occurred last Friday when a video of an Indonesian domestic helper in Singapore went viral after she shared the story of how she had been ill-treated by her employer between tears.
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Maid alleges that she was only given one meal a day, and woken up at 5am with water splashed on her
A video of a foreign domestic worker crying about how her employer has mistreated her has been circulated on social media, going viral.
In the video, uploaded on October 4, a maid was seen crying to another woman at the lift lobby of a Housing Development Board (HDB) block. The helper, named Castina, said that she was originally from a town in Java called Indramayu and that she does not want to work in Singapore anymore because it has been “depressing”.
The maid alleged that she was only given one meal a day, was woken up daily at 5am and that she would have water splashed on her face if she did not wake up.
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Woman to testify that she 'heard voices' after being sentenced to jail for maid abuse
Anita Damu, 51, is appealing against her jail term of two years and seven months for, among other things, pouring scalding hot water on her domestic worker and using a hot iron to hurt her.PHOTO: ST FILE
A convicted maid abuser seeking to avoid jail time will be taking the stand to support her assertion that she heard voices that caused her to commit the offences.
Anita Damu, 51, is appealing against her jail term of two years and seven months for, among other things, pouring scalding hot water on her domestic worker and using a hot iron to hurt her.
The issue in contention between the prosecution and the defence is whether the convicted woman experienced auditory hallucinations at the time of the offences.
related: Convicted maid abuser to take the stand in appeal
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Woman gets 11 years' jail in one of Singapore's worst cases of maid abuse
A woman who used an array of household items – such as a hammer, chopper, bamboo pole and stone pestle or pounder – to hit her Indonesian maid, causing permanent disfiguration, was on Thursday (Aug 1) jailed for 11 years. This is believed to be the longest sentence for maid abuse.
Zariah Mohd Ali, 58, was also ordered to compensate the victim with a sum of nearly $56,000 or serve an additional five months in jail. Her husband Mohamad Dahlan, 60, was sentenced to 15 months’ jail for his role in the abuse, and told to pay the maid $1,000 or serve an additional five days’ jail.
The couple, who were previously convicted for abuse of another domestic worker in 2001, are appealing.
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Woman jailed 11 years after abuse left maid with deformed nose, scars
Ms Khanifa, an Indonesian mother of two from Indramayu, West Java, thinks people are disgusted when they see her.
The 39-year-old has a deformed left ear, permanent and prominent scars on her forehead, on the back of her head and across her shoulders. Her left little finger is functionally impaired.
These resulted from injuries inflicted during a period of six months by her Singaporean employers Zariah Mohd Ali, 58, and her husband Mohamad Dahlan.
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Abuse by couple left maid, 39, disfigured and traumatised
Ms Khanifah, a mother of two from Indramayu, West Java, thinks people are disgusted when they see her. The 39-year-old has a deformed left ear, and permanent and prominent scars on her forehead, back of her head and across her shoulders. Her left little finger is functionally impaired.
These injuries and disfigurations were inflicted during a period of six months by her Singaporean employers Zariah Mohd Ali, 58, and her husband Mohamad Dahlan, 60.
Found guilty in 2017 of 12 charges, Zariah was sentenced to 11 years in jail yesterday, believed to be the longest sentence for maid abuse. She was also ordered to pay Ms Khanifah a compensation of about $56,000, or serve an additional five months in jail.
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Abusive couple strikes again: 11 years' jail for woman whose assaults left helper with deformed ear, broken finger
Back in 2001, both of them were already prosecuted for abusing a different domestic worker in her 20s, Madam Tutik Rahayu Purwadi. They had rubbed sambal goreng — a Malay dish — on her eyes, hit her on her head with a mug, beaten her and left her with injuries to her ears because she had not cooked dishes properly.
Zariah was convicted then of causing hurt and using criminal force on Mdm Tutik, and was sentenced to 10 weeks’ jail and fined S$500. Her husband was convicted on two counts of causing hurt and was jailed for 12 weeks.
Prosecutors described the latest case as “indubitably one of the worst cases of maid abuse in Singapore’s recent history”.
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Man who abused Myanmar maid gets longer jail term on prosecution's appeal; his wife convicted of not paying worker's salary
A former regional manager who assaulted his Myanmar maid - the second domestic worker he was convicted of abusing - had his jail term for the second set of charges raised from 24 months to 30 months on Monday (Aug 26) by the High Court.
The increase came after the prosecution appealed against the sentence imposed by a district judge in March on Tay Wee Kiat, 41, on two charges relating to Ms Moe Moe Than.
The charges are for kicking Ms Moe Moe Than while she was in a push-up position and for instructing her to slap his other domestic worker, before making both maids worship in front of a Buddhist altar at home, even though one is a Christian and the other a Muslim.
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Prosecution calls for higher sentence in landmark maid abuse case, reversal of acquitted charge
The prosecution on Friday (Aug 2) appealed to a High Court judge to increase the sentence of a man convicted of maid abuse and to reverse an acquittal of a charge his wife faced.
Former IT manager Tay Wee Kiat, 41, had received two years' jail for his part in the abuse of 31-year-old maid Moe Moe Than in 2012.
His wife Chia Yun Ling, 43, was sentenced to three years and 11 months' jail and fined S$4,000 for 15 charges.
related:
Former IT manager received 2 yrs' jail for his part in abuse of 31-yr-old maid
Couple convicted of maid abuse guilty of abusing another domestic helper
Couple gets jail for abusing 2nd maid,caning her,forcing rice down her throat
Jail for woman who hammered out maid's teeth "worst" recent case of abuse
Maids' overtime pay is long overdue, a commentary
New sentencing framework for maid abuse cases
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Jail for couple who abused domestic helper by slapping and strangling her, biting her wrist
They hired an Indonesian domestic helper to take care of their newborn baby, but the unmarried couple abused her by slapping her several times, strangling her and even biting her wrist.
Lim Kheng Soon and Chong Siew Moi Jecyn Penpelnel, both Singaporeans, now face time behind bars.
Lim, 46, a taxi driver, was sentenced to three months and eight weeks’ jail on Wednesday (May 8) and ordered to pay compensation of S$1,000 to the helper, Ms Junairiyah Junaedi Artawi, 33.
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When family members abuse a maid together
One couple left their maid with a deformed ear. Another couple gave their maids only plain rice and water for their meals. Yet another pair abused their maid and threatened to send her to Batam for sex work.
These examples are part of a phenomenon where multiple members of a family abuse their foreign domestic workers, or maids.
It may be similar to school bullying, where one person leads and another follows suit: Experts.
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Overwork, verbal abuse most common grievances of maids, say Home and HK NGO in report on forced labour
In Asia, Singapore employs the second-highest number of documented migrant domestic workers who come from countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines. There were around 250,000 foreign domestic workers in Singapore as of June 2018.ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Domestic workers who seek help for their work conditions mostly do so due to overwork, verbal abuse and salary issues - and many of their complaints appear to be "strong indicators of forced labour".
These are among the findings of a report released on Tuesday (Jan 15) by the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home) and Hong Kong-based anti-trafficking group Liberty Shared, looking into forced labour in Singapore's domestic work sector and calling for better protection of workers.
Forced labour refers to work or services exacted from a person "under the menace of any penalty and for which (he) has not offered himself voluntarily", according to the International Labour Organisation, a United Nations agency.
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Singapore’s foreign domestic workers vulnerable to forced labour, report finds
Foreign domestic workers in Singapore have reported being overworked, receiving verbal abuse, not having enough food, and having to give their employers massages. Photo: AFP
Foreign domestic maids in Singapore are susceptible to being victims of forced labour, despite them being documented workers with legal rights such as paid medical insurance and a rest day each week, according to a new report.
Between April 2017 and March last year, 872 workers complained of issues such as overwork, verbal abuse, salary problems, inadequate food, and having to give their employers massages, said migrant rights group Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home).
Their stories formed the basis of a report titled “Behind Closed Doors: Forced Labour in the Domestic Work Sector in Singapore” that Home and Hong Kong-based anti-human trafficking advocacy group Liberty Shared released on Tuesday.
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Ministry of Manpower
Multi-pronged approach to protect FDWs:
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6 out of 10 maids in Singapore are exploited: Survey
Six out of every 10 foreign domestic workers in Singapore are exploited by their employers, according to a recent survey, with the helpers citing bad living conditions, excessive working hours, deduction of salary and violence.
The survey, conducted by independent consultancy Research Across Borders, involved both foreign domestic workers and employers.
Among the 735 Filipino and Indonesian respondents, the majority of workers at 60 per cent were identified as exploited, with 23 per cent identified as victims of forced labour that involved threats, control, leverage or force. Only one-third of the workers did not report exploitation or coercion by their employers.
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MAID ABUSE (SINGAPORE)
The prosecution usually relies on one or more of the sections such as section 323, 323, 324 or 325 Penal Code, read with the enhancement provision, namely section 73 Penal Code for maid abuse cases, depending on the nature of the hurt caused. The punishment is usually a jail sentence. This is a relatively serious offence and if convicted, carries a jail sentence from a few months to a couple of years, depending on the number of charges. Accused that have been convicted included teachers, businessmen, professionals and even a news reader. In the recent case of Soh Meiyun v PP (2014), the Accused was given a fine as she was suffering from major depressive disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder which the IMH psychiatrist said had contributed to the offences. In the case of Chua Siew Peng (2017), the Accused’s sentence was enhanced upon Appeal. The Accused was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, but the crucial point was there was no casual link between the schizophrenia and the commission of the offence.
Some examples of maid abuse:
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Why Is Maid Abuse So Prevalent In Singapore?
One of the embarrassing things Singapore is known for in Southeast Asia is maid abuse. The number of such cases in Singapore has been increasing rapidly. According to the State Courts, there were a total of 26 maid abuse cases filed last year. This is nearly double the 14 filed in 2012. You can read some of the horrible stories here.
The most recent case of abuse would be that of Ms Thelma Oyasan Gawidan from the Philippines. Her Singaporean employers – Lim Choon Hong and his wife Chong Sui Foon – deprived her of food. The only food they provided for her was instant noodles and plain bread twice a day. As a result, her weight dropped dramatically from 49kg to 29kg! Many were enraged that the couple would at most be charged with a fine of $10,000 and one year of jail. Many Singaporeans were enraged that the couple would at most be charged with a fine of $10,000 and one year of jail. Quoting Terry Xu from The Online Citizen:
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Employer's guide: foreign domestic worker
This guide aims to help you build a positive working relationship with your foreign domestic worker (FDW). It includes information on rest days, well-being, salary and other matters:
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Jail for man who filmed wife's maid showering, cut holes in toilet door
An officer with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) who filmed his wife's maid showering was sentenced to 12 weeks' jail on Wednesday (Jun 26).
The 30-year-old man, whose name was redacted from court documents, pleaded guilty to two charges of insulting the Indonesian maid's modesty. Another three charges were taken into consideration. The court heard that the 36-year-old victim was working as a domestic helper for the family of the officer's wife, and they all lived together.
The officer developed an urge in late 2016 to see the maid bathing in the bathroom, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Genevieve Pang.
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Man made holes in toilet door to peep at maid
The 30-year-old man, who was working as an officer with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority at the time, also took videos of his relatives bathing.
Yesterday, he was jailed for 12 weeks on two charges of insult of modesty. Three similar charges were taken into consideration.
The man, who cannot be named, to protect the identity of the victims, was staying in the same unit as his wife and her family at the time.
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Singaporean salon manager jailed for abusing Myanmar maid
A Singaporean woman who abused her Myanmar maid by forcing her to pour hot water on herself, pulling her hair out and hitting her was jailed for three years on Monday.
Singapore is home to almost 250,000 maids, mostly from other parts of Southeast Asia, who head to the tiny but wealthy city-state to earn far higher salaries. Beauty parlour manager Linda Seah, 39, was convicted last month for the abuse inflicted on Phyu Phyu Mar in 2016.
The mistreatment detailed in six charges included two instances when the maid was forced to pour hot water onto her left shoulder, leaving her with burn marks and blisters. Seah also forced her to drink "water adulterated with floor cleaner", according to the charges.
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Woman jailed 10 months after hitting helper
A paralegal was so angry with her Indonesian domestic helper for giving her mother pills that had spilled on the floor that she repeatedly struck her with a wooden scratcher, causing injuries including two fractured fingers.
Ng Bee Choo, 48, was jailed for 10 months yesterday after she admitted causing grievous hurt to Ms Weti Alimi Carmadi.
Ms Weti, 33, started working at Ng's Circuit Road flat in October 2016. Her duties included taking care of Ng's aged, wheelchair-bound mother who has heart problems.
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Woman punched maid so hard she fractured her nose
The court heard that Jenny Chan Yun Hui has mental issues although the details were not revealed. TNP PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
A woman abused her Indonesian domestic helper two months after she started working for the household, causing injuries including a broken nose.
Jenny Chan Yun Hui also hit Ms Rasi's head with a plastic bowl, causing bleeding, and struck the maid's face multiple times until her left eye became so swollen she was unable to see out of it.
Chan, 41, pleaded guilty in court yesterday to three assault charges, including one count of causing grievous hurt.
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Three years' jail for woman who forced maid to scald herself
A beauty salon manager tormented her maid for months, forcing her to perform acts of self-harm, including pouring hot water on herself and drinking dirty water mixed with detergent.
Linda Seah Lei Sie, 39, was sentenced to three years' jail yesterday after District Judge Olivia Low found her guilty of abusing Ms Phyu Phyu Mar following a 15-day trial.
The manager of Anew Me Beauty Aesthetic salon at The Centrepoint shopping mall was also ordered to pay $11,800 in compensation to the maid.
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Jail for couple who punched, forced maid to drink dirty mop water
A husband and wife were sentenced to jail on Monday (Feb 11) for abusing their domestic helper by, among other things, making her drink dirty water mixed with dog hair and a floor cleaning agent.
Linda Seah Lei Sie, a 39-year-old beauty salon manager who was convicted of six charges, was sentenced to three years in jail for instigating most of the abuses.
She had told Myanmar national Phyu Phyu Mar to knock her head hard against the kitchen floor, saying that the maid agency had ordered it, and grabbed the helper’s hair so forcefully that a chunk of it fell out.
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Married couple who ordered maid to pour hot water on herself convicted of abuse
Tormented for months, a maid was forced to perform multiple acts of self-harm, including pouring scalding hot water on herself and drinking dirty water mixed with detergent.
Ms Phyu Phyu Mar also did not receive her monthly salary of $700 throughout her employment with her abusers, and her weight plummeted from 50kg to 38kg because of a lack of food.
On Friday (Jan 18), District Judge Olivia Low found Linda Seah Lei Sie, 39, and her husband Lim Toon Leng, 44, guilty of abusing the Myanmar national following a 15-day trial.
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Couple sentenced to jail for abusing maid, who was caned and forced to eat own vomit
Tay Wee Kiat (left) and his wife Chia Yun Ling were convicted of maid abuse after a 31-day trial.ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
A married couple repeatedly abused their maid, caning and kicking her and force-feeding her a mixture of rice and sugar before ordering her to eat her own vomit when she threw up.
On one occasion, Myanmar national Moe Moe Than, 32, was forced to perform her chores clad in only her bra and short pants.
She was also told that an assassin would be hired to kill her family members back home.
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Myanmar maid forced to eat her own vomit by employers
Earlier this week (25 September), a domestic helper from Myanmar testified in court. She said that she was abused by her Singaporean employers and they often hit her and even made her eat her own vomit after she was force-fed. Her case added to the long list of cases of Singapore maid abuse
The domestic helper – Moe Moe Than – was testifying against her previous employers Tay Wee Kiat, 39, and his wife Chia Yun Ling, 41, in the State Courts before District Judge Olivia Low, say reports. Than spoke in court about the range of “punishments.” They would allegedly can her buttocks, slap and hit her on the head and force her to wear just her bra and shorts.
Once, Chia was annoyed that Than had not given her daughter adequate water. So she allegedly made Than strip naked, then took a photo of her. Chia proceeded to laugh at the image and also show it to the other domestic helper she employed, an Indonesian woman named Fitriyah.
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Man who assaulted, raped niece's maid gets 10.5 years' jail
A 53-year-old security officer who raped his relative's maid was sentenced to jail for 10-and-a-half years on Monday (Mar 18).
The man, who was referred to only as A1 in court documents, had preyed on the 26-year-old Indonesian domestic helper, who worked for his niece.
The Singaporean man, who cannot be caned as he is above 50 years old, had a rented flat in Johor Bahru with his girlfriend and travelled daily to Chinatown Plaza for work.
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Couple gets jail for abusing second maid, caning her and forcing rice down her throat
Tay Wee Kiat (left) and his wife Chia Yun Ling were found guilty on Mar 4 of abusing their domestic helper. (Photo: Nuria Ling/TODAY)
A Singaporean couple who abused a domestic helper from Myanmar by caning her, force-feeding her and instructing her to eat her vomit, was sentenced to jail and fined on Monday (Mar 18).
Moe Moe Than was subjected to various forms of abuse in 2012, sleeping fewer than six hours a day on a mattress in the living room without a pillow or blanket, eating mostly rice on its own or with sugar, and being slapped and caned by her employers.
Former IT manager Tay Wee Kiat, 41, was sentenced to two years’ jail for abusing the 31-year-old helper by caning her, hitting her with a broomstick, kicking her while she was in a push-up position, and making another maid and her slap each other.
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Jail for Singapore woman who abused helper for doing chores slowly
A woman in Singapore who abused her Myanmar domestic helper by forcing her to pour hot water on herself, pulling her hair out and hitting her was jailed for three years on Monday.
Singapore is home to almost 250,000 domestic helpers, mostly from other parts of Southeast Asia, who head to the tiny but wealthy city state to earn far higher salaries.
Beauty parlour manager Linda Seah, 39, was convicted last month for the abuse inflicted on Phyu Phyu Mar in 2016.
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Married couple convicted of abusing maid who was ordered to pour hot water on herself
Linda Seah Lei Sie (left) and her husband Lim Toon Leng were found guilty of abusing their maid following a 15-day trial on Jan 18, 2019.PHOTO: ST FILE
Tormented for months, a maid was forced to perform multiple acts of self-harm, including pouring scalding hot water on herself and drinking dirty water mixed with detergent.
Ms Phyu Phyu Mar also did not receive her monthly salary of $700 throughout her employment with her abusers, and her weight plummeted from 50kg to 38kg because of a lack of food.
On Friday (Jan 18), District Judge Olivia Low found Linda Seah Lei Sie, 39, and her husband Lim Toon Leng, 44, guilty of abusing the Myanmar national following a 15-day trial.
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Woman convicted of forcing maid to hurt self with hot water
A Singaporean woman was found guilty on Friday (Jan 18) of abusing her Myanmar maid, including forcing her to pour hot water onto herself and to drink water laced with floor cleaner.
The abuse of the maid, Phyu Phyu Mar, happened from August to October 2016 at the house of the Singaporean married couple who employed her, according to court documents.
The abuses detailed in six charges against the wife - Linda Seah, 39 - include two instances when the maid was forced to pour hot water onto her left shoulder "to voluntarily cause hurt to herself".
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31-month jail, fines for woman who abused Indonesian maid
Justice for the Indonesian domestic worker and it has been finally served to her employer-abuser Anita Damu after the sentencing was postponed last October as Damu was rushed to hospital as she felt ill while the court was about to pass the verdict.
Anita Damu, also known as Shazana Abdullah, who had pleaded guilty to five charges of maid abuse last September was sentenced to 31-month imprisonment and was ordered to pay $8,000 on top of the $4,000 she already paid as compensation for the loss of income of her maid, Siti Khodijah.
District Judge Terence Tay did not honor the psychiatric disorder alibi plead by the defense as Anita was aware of what she was doing to her maid, and knew that it was wrong. She even instructed the maid to tell a lie to the doctor regarding the causes of the injuries because if not, she would go to jail.
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Woman jailed for punching maid, nearly caused her to go blind
“Bong denied abusing the maid. She said the maid was ‘very slow in her work’, and claimed she had treated her as a daughter and that she was ‘part of the family’.” | Source: Screengrab from The Straits Times
Maid abuse cases in Singapore have skyrocketed. Take a look at this recent case where a woman expressed her emotions a little too strongly and punched her maid in the face. Her repeated abuse almost made the maid go blind.
According to The Straits Times, Suzanna Bong Sim Swana was jailed for 20 months and was ordered to pay over $38,000 in compensation for repeatedly abusing and exploiting her Myanmarese maid, Ms Than Than Soe. It all started in a Yishun flat that belonged to Bong’s parents in May 2013 where the maid was not given any days off.
Initially, Bong would just scold her maid. But after four months, Bong started finding fault with her work and it escalated into physical abuse.
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Jail for woman who pressed hot iron on maid's hands, pinched her with pliers
A woman who subjected her domestic worker to physical abuse for more than a year, leaving her covered in welts and with burn marks, was sentenced to 31 months' jail on Monday (Dec 24).
Anita Damu, also known as Shazana Abdullah, employed 27-year-old Siti Khodijah from Indonesia to work for her as a maid in October 2013 for S$522 a month.
She was given only five hours of sleep - between 11pm and 4am - daily for about 15 months, deputy public prosecutors Yang Ziliang and Claire Poh said.
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Singaporean couple who abused Indonesian maid convicted again for abusing Myanmar helper
After getting jail sentences for their severe mistreatment of an Indonesian domestic helper, a Singaporean couple could be serving even more time in prison for abusing their second domestic helper, who’s from Myanmar.
Tay Wee Kiat, 41, and his wife Chia Yun Ling, 43, have been found guilty of multiple charges of abuse against Moe Moe Than, according to Yahoo News Singapore. The 31-year-old maid had been subjected to a series of savage physical mistreatment, including being forced to eat her own vomit.
Chia, a mother of three, was found guilty of eight assault charges and one count of using abusive words towards the Moe Moe Than, as well as six offenses under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. Her husband was convicted of six assault charges.
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Singaporean couple jailed for 'worst of its kind' maid abuse
The same couple were sentenced in March 2017 to jail terms for abusing their Indonesian maid – the husband for two years and 4 months and the wife for two months. They have yet to serve those sentences.
A Singaporean couple was on Monday, March 18, jailed for abusing a Myanmar maid after the pair force-fed her with a funnel, made her eat her own vomit and threatened to kill her family if she reported the maltreatment.
In a case described by Singapore prosecutors as "arguably one of the worst of its kind" in the city-state, the married couple – who were sentenced two years ago over the abuse of another maid – beat and kicked their helper and made her clean the house in her underwear.
Moe Moe Than, 32, was also given little food, limited use of the toilet and faced threats that her parents in Myanmar would be killed if she reported the abuse, court documents showed.
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Singaporean couple jailed for 'worst of its kind' abuse of Myanmar maid
Singapore has taken a tough stand against maid abuse to protect some 250,000 domestic workers from other parts of Asia who work in the affluent nation for higher salaries. (AFP)
A Singaporean couple was on Monday jailed for abusing a Myanmar maid after the pair force-fed her with a funnel, made her eat her own vomit and threatened to kill her family if she reported the maltreatment.
In a case described by Singapore prosecutors as "arguably one of the worst of its kind" in the city-state, the married couple, who were sentenced two years ago over the abuse of another maid, beat and kicked their helper and made her clean the house in her underwear. Ma Moe Moe Than, 32, was also given little food, limited use of the toilet and faced threats that her parents in Myanmar would be killed if she reported the abuse, court documents showed.
District Judge Olivia Low on Monday sentenced the woman, Ms Chia Yun Ling, to 47 months in prison and ordered her to pay a fine. Her husband, Mr Tay Wee Kiat, a former information technology manager, was jailed for 24 months. They were ordered to pay compensation to the maid.
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20 months' jail for woman who nearly blinded maid
A woman who nearly blinded her maid by punching her in the face whenever she became angry was jailed for a year and eight months yesterday.
The injuries, including retinal detachment, caused Myanmar national Than Than Soe to be blind in her left eye, while her right eye was injured severely.
Singaporean Suzanna Bong Sim Swan, 46, had also forced her to sleep on the floor, refused to pay her salary and denied her any days off during the two years she employed her, a court heard.
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Singapore couple faces long jail term for abusing second maid, who was forced to eat own vomit
A Singapore couple tortured and abused their Burmese domestic helper by caning and kicking her. They also forcefully feed her a mixture of rice and sugar by using a funnel and when the victim threw up they ordered her to eat her own vomit. As per the court documents, the victim is a 32-year-old Myanmar national, Moe Moe Than, also forced to perform her chores clad while wearing bra and shots. On Monday, both the abusers were presented in court for sentencing.
The 41-year-old Tay Wee Kiat, a former regional IT manager sentenced to two years of jail term and asked to pay a compensation of $3,000 as he was found guilty of six charges of causing hurt.
His wife, Chia Yun Ling, 43, convicted of 15 charges, was sentenced to three years and 11 months of imprisonment, including a fine of $4,000. Chia was also asked to pay her maid $6,500 as compensation. The sentencing took place just two weeks later both the accused were convicted of maid abuse.
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Myanmar maid recounts incidents of abuse by Singaporean couple
A maid from Myanmar has alleged that her Singaporean employers abused her on many occasions including hitting her on the head and buttocks, and forcing her to eat her own vomit.
Moe Moe Than, now 29, was testifying against Tay Wee Kiat, a 39-year-old former IT manager, and his wife Chia Yun Ling, 41, in the State Courts before District Judge Olivia Low on Monday (25 September).
Tay faces 19 charges including voluntarily causing hurt to Than, and abetting in voluntarily causing hurt by asking Than and Fitriyah, an Indonesian maid who was also employed by the couple, to slap each other. Chia faces 11 charges including voluntarily causing hurt and insulting Than’s modesty.
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WOMAN LETS 8 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER ABUSE MAID, JOINS IN AS WELL
An Indonesian maid, Ms Intan Atikah, suffered for 11 months being frequently abused by her employer, who spat on her face, called her names, withheld her salary and on one occasion, even ripping off the tudung off her head.
She tried running away once, but was caught and carried back to the flat. Neighbours at the Clementi flat where she was in had also called the police three time between December 2015 and March 2016 because they were alarmed by her loud cries and concerned she was being tortured.
It finally culminated in her employer, Suriyati Matrawee, 42, being arrested and sentenced to 16 weeks jail. What was even sadder was that it was her 8 year old daughter who had started abusing the maid just weeks after she started working for them. The girl punched and kicked the maid, and the mother did nothing to stop the abuse.
related: Maid Abuse
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COURT UPHOLDS CONVICTION OF COUPLE FOUND GUILTY OF MAID ABUSE, INCREASES HUSBAND’S JAIL TERM
The High Court has upheld the conviction of a married couple found guilty in a district court of abusing their Indonesian maid for almost two years.
The court has also laid out a sentencing framework for maid abuse cases. If the abuse is both physical and psychological, the court will identify the degree of harm caused in relation to each charge.
This comes after Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon signalled the need to review sentencing benchmarks “upwards” for maid abuse offences.
related: MAID ABUSE
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Jail for 64-year-old Singaporean who repeatedly abused Indonesian maid
The abuse came to light after a neighbor alerted the police. The neighbor became aware of the abuse after coming across notes written by the maid to her own helper. Shutterstock/Doidam 10)
A real estate agent assaulted her mother's Indonesian maid just one month after she started working in the household and repeatedly abused the helper, who was not allowed to communicate with others.
The abuse came to light after a neighbor alerted the police. The neighbor became aware of the abuse after coming across notes written by the maid to her own helper.
During the four-day trial, Ema Rahmawati, 24, testified that Khoo Mee Choo punched her head, hit her with a bunch of chopsticks, kicked her buttocks, pulled her hair and pinched her arm.
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Employer who molested his maid sentenced to 11 months' jail
A 49-year-old sales manager who molested his newly hired maid in 2016 was sentenced to 11 months' jail on Friday (Jul 13).
Francis Lim Boon Liang hired the Indonesian maid, then 23, in November 2016.
The young domestic worker, who cannot be named due to a gag order, stayed with Lim, his wife and two children.
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Woman who pushed maid's head against toilet wall gets jail and compensation order
A 45-year-old woman who pushed her Indonesian maid so hard that it left blood on the toilet wall was on Friday (Sep 21) sentenced to 13 months' jail.
Rospidah Tukiman had been furious that her maid, Tumijah, did not tell her that her daughter fell on an escalator and injured her leg in February 2016.
The maid, now 32, also bought Rospidah the wrong lunch and gave her a dirty spoon, further angering her, the court heard. Tumijah also did not give one of Rospidah's two daughters her lunch.
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Couple jailed, fined for starving maid, who lost 20kg
Lim Choon Hong (right) and wife Chong Sui Foon, couple charged with abusing their maid, arriving at the State Courts on March 26, 2017. Photo: Robin Choo/TODAY
For starving their Filipino domestic helper, which caused her weight to plummet by almost 20kg over a 15-month period, a Singaporean couple was sentenced to jail and a fine by a district court on Monday (March 27).
Freelance trader Lim Choon Hong, 48 — who was convicted last March under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act for failing to provide adequate food to his domestic helper — was jailed three weeks and fined a maximum S$10,000.
His wife Chong Sui Foon, 48, who was found guilty of abetting him, was jailed three months.
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Woman jailed for burning maid with heated metal spoon
JAILED: Zinnerah Abdul Majeed pleaded guilty to three counts of voluntarily causing hurt. PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
She brutally abused her maid just one month after the Myanmar national started working for her.
On two occasions, Zinnerah Abdul Majeed, now 28, used a heated metal spoon to burn Ms May Thu Phyo, causing multiple second-degree burns that were likely to leave permanent scars.
Between late August and Sept 3 last year, Zinnerah hit the maid with a bicycle lock, a metal belt buckle, a television remote control, a bamboo pole and the handle of a butter knife.
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Mum and daughter jailed for abusing maid
They slapped their maid, pinched her mouth, jabbed her foot with a metal prong and even used the back of a knife to hit her hand. Whenever the bruises showed, the maid, who was left scarred and with a permanent disability in her left ear, was forced to wear a face mask.
Yesterday, the abusers, a 65-year- old woman and her daughter, were jailed for hurting the maid.
Housewife Anpalaki Muniandy Marimuthu was convicted of six charges of hurting Ms Sriyatun, 27, and imprisoned for 16 months. Her daughter, 43-year-old warehouse supervisor Jayasheela Jayaraman, was found guilty of three charges, sentenced to 12 months' jail and ordered to pay $840 in compensation.
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10 Shocking Facts About The Maid Abuse Case That You Should Know
Most people’s hearts have gone out to the maid after hearing her tragic abuse story. For the uninitiated, a couple starved their maid, deprived her of food and did not allow her to speak to anyone. The trial has been going on since 14 Dec.
Thelma Oyasan Gawidan, the victim of this maid abuse case survived on bread and instant noodles throughout her torture period employment, causing her weight to plummet from 49kg to 29kg. The domestic worker claimed that her employers kept surveillance of her round the clock and she only managed to escape when they left her alone to clean the area outside their Orchard Road condominium. With the help of a fellow Filipina, Gawidan managed to get to a shelter run by the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home).
Her tormentors, Lim Choon Hong and his wife Chong Sui Foon, both 47, have claimed trial to one offence under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act — which is punishable to up to 12 months jail and/or $10 000 fine.
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Some of Singapore's worst maid abusers
The number of maid abuse cases in Singapore that have come before the courts has been on the rise in recent years.
Statistics from the State Courts show that in 2014, there were 26 maid abuses cases, almost double that in 2012. In the past five years, the courts saw a total of 90 cases, reported The Straits Times. This works out to an average of 18 cases a year, or about one case every three weeks.
Here are some of the worst maid abusers from the last 10 years:
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Jailed For Abuse Of Maid
A Singaporean couple have been jailed for starving their domestic worker from the Philippines, in a case that has shocked the city-state.
The woman lost 20kg (44 lbs) - about 40% of her body weight - while working for them, and was given only bread and instant noodles to eat. Her employers received jail sentences of three weeks and three months.
Many Singaporeans hire live-in helpers from neighbouring countries, and abuse cases are not uncommon.
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Here is a look at past cases of high-profile maid abuse
Chong Sui Foon and her husband Lim Choon Hong failed to comply with work pass conditions and provide adequate food to Madam Gawidan (right) for 15 months, causing her weight to fall from 49kg to 29.4kg. PHOTOS: WONG KWAI CHOW, ST FILE
Husband Tay Wee Kiat faced 12 charges involving the couple's two maids, while Chia Yun Ling was convicted of hitting one of them. ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
Over a two-week period, Zinnerah Abdul Majeed also hit domestic helper May Thu Phyo with a bamboo pole, a belt buckle and even a bicycle lock, leaving her with multiple injuries. PHOTO: SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
Jayasheela Jayaraman (left) and her mother, Anpalaki Muniandy Marimuthu were sentenced 12 months and 16 months' jail respectively for hurting the former's maid. ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
Ms Khanifah (above) had been working for Zariah Mohd Ali and Mohamad Dahlan for about six months when the alleged abuses took place. She told the court she was hit on the head with a hammer at least five times.ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
Rosman Anwar (left) and his wife Khairani Abdul Rahman had their jail terms increased for the prolonged abuse of their Indonesian maid. ST PHOTOS: WONG KWAI CHOW
Chua committed both offences while under a mandatory treatment order for paranoid schizophrenia. ST PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
Tutor Low Gek Hong, 37, repeatedly scratched the Myanmar maid on the face, arms and ears for being inefficient, and used a pair of scissors to poke the victim's left shoulder in February 2012. PHOTO: ST FILE
Chan Huey Fern's case was said to be one of the most distressing maid-abuse cases. PHOTO: ST FILE
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Full Coverage:
Couple jail for abusing 2nd maid, caning her,forcing rice down her throat
Couple convicted of maid abuse guilty of abusing another domestic helper
Woman who pinched, punched Indonesian maid jailed
Woman convicted of forcing maid to hurt self with hot water
Jail for woman who pressed hot iron on maid's hands, pinched her with pliers
Woman who abused maid over 3 months sentenced to jail
Woman who abused Myanmar maid sentenced to more than 2 years' jail
Employer who molested his maid sentenced to 11 months' jail
Couple on trial for abuse offered bribes to silence maid
Woman pushed maid's head against toilet wall jail compensation order
Woman jailed for punching maid, nearly caused her to go blind
Husband and wife accused of abusing maid in Singapore
Couple convicted of maid abuse found guilty of abusing another
Maid who was caned given insufficient food and forced to eat own vomit
Couple abused maid ask her drink polluted water,pour hot water on herself
Man kicked two maids, hit them with canes, court told
Court upholds conviction of couple found guilty of maid abuse
Maid who was caned, given insufficient food & forced to eat own vomit
related:
A video was recently uploaded on the Facebook page Sg Dirty Fella which shows a maid showering an elderly man.
The foreign maid then uploaded the video on her Tiktok account. Such actions are indeed incorrigible as employers place their trust in the maid to take care of their parents.
The video has since been deleted from her Tiktok account.
Woman on trial for allegedly abusing 2 maids in Sentosa Cove home
A Singaporean woman accused of abusing two domestic workers at her home in Sentosa Cove went on trial yesterday.
Tan Lee Hoon, 56, is contesting eight charges of voluntarily causing hurt to two Filipino women while they were employed to work at her home on Paradise Island.
She is alleged to have pinched Ms Jenefer Arangote Vegafria, 39, in the stomach, arm, chest and thigh on various occasions in September 2018, and is alleged to have kicked Ms Joan Lozares Lizardo, 33, in the chest and hit her head the following month.
Abused maid escaped by climbing down from 15th-storey balcony
A woman repeatedly abused her family's domestic helper between January and April 2018 by acts such as slapping the woman's face and pulling her hair.
Unable to tolerate any more abuse from Nuur Audadi Yusoff, the Indonesian maid, Ms Sulis Setyowati, 24, climbed out of the 15th-storey flat's balcony and made her way down to the ground floor of the block in Yishun. At the time of the offences, Nuur was a Singtel employee deployed to support a Ministry of Manpower (MOM) contact centre.
The 31-year-old Singaporean pleaded guilty on Monday (Sept 28) to six counts of assault. Nine other charges, mainly for similar offences, will be considered during sentencing.
Woman gets 11 years' jail in one of Singapore's worst cases of maid abuse
A woman who used an array of household items – such as a hammer, chopper, bamboo pole and stone pestle or pounder – to hit her Indonesian maid, causing permanent disfiguration, was on Thursday (Aug 1) jailed for 11 years. This is believed to be the longest sentence for maid abuse.
Zariah Mohd Ali, 58, was also ordered to compensate the victim with a sum of nearly $56,000 or serve an additional five months in jail. Her husband Mohamad Dahlan, 60, was sentenced to 15 months’ jail for his role in the abuse, and told to pay the maid $1,000 or serve an additional five days’ jail.
The couple, who were previously convicted for abuse of another domestic worker in 2001, are appealing.
Couple found guilty of assaulting maid, who was abused from her first day of work
A woman slapped and punched her domestic helper who was on her first day of work.
She tormented Ms Amandeep Kaur for about two months, with her husband joining in the abuse later.
The maid finally fled through a window of the couple's flat on the fourth storey of a Housing Board block in Rivervale Crescent, Sengkang.
Youth pleads guilty to abusing maid and telling her she 'had no right to be in Singapore'
Ng Jia Sheng, 20, pleaded guilty to using criminal force on his family's domestic helper. The Straits Times
A youth not only spat on his family's domestic helper and threw a metal mug at her face, leaving her with injuries, but also told her that she was "only a maid, was poor and had no right to be in Singapore".
Ng Jia Sheng, 20, pleaded guilty on Tuesday (June 2) to using criminal force on Ms Estabillo Soledad Agustin in 2018, as well as causing her grievous hurt by a rash act endangering her personal safety.
He also admitted to using insulting words on the 41-year-old Filipino that caused her alarm, which is an offence under the Protection from Harassment Act.
"You hurt me!": Maid cries after allegedly getting kicked out by employer
A domestic helper was seen crying and packing up her belongings after she was allegedly kicked out of home by her employer, and police are investigating the incident. The police told Stomp that they were alerted to a case of voluntarily causing hurt against a domestic worker along Holland Road on Saturday (Feb 1), at around 1.30pm.
Videos of the incident, which occurred at a condominium, were posted on Facebook and have been viewed more than 630,000 times. Another foreign domestic worker (FWD) who worked in the same condominium had witnessed the incident and uploaded the videos online.
In the first clip, a maid can be seen falling onto the ground after apparently being pushed. She is also heard crying and repeatedly saying, "You hurt me!"
Former police officer jailed for assaulting Muslim helper, calling her 'pig' and 'dog'
A former female police officer who called her Muslim domestic helper “pig” and “dog”, in addition to physically abusing her, was jailed for two weeks on Tuesday (18 February).
In addition to her jail term, Nazriah Md Isa will also have to compensate the maid with $1,160, otherwise she will have to serve another week in prison. The 41-year-old had been a veteran officer of 21 years, before she resigned due to the charges she faced. She had held the Sergeant rank before she left the force.
She pleaded guilty to two counts of voluntarily causing hurt to her 36-year-old Indonesian maid, who had to throw pieces of paper from her unit to the first floor to plead for help.
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Woman jailed 1 year 3 months for repeatedly assaulting maid, breaking her nose
Jenny Chan Yun Hui leaving the State Courts on Oct 1
For more than two months in 2016, Jenny Chan Yun Hui rained blows on her Indonesian domestic helper, punching her so forcefully that she broke the maid’s nose.
Chan also punched Ms Rasi — who goes by one name — in the eyes multiple times, until her left eye was so swollen that she could not see out of it for about half an hour. Apart from the physical abuse, she forbade Ms Rasi to use a phone or speak to the neighbours.
A day after Ms Rasi finally managed to speak to another maid staying in the opposite condominium unit, she fled and sought help at the Indonesian embassy.
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Woman jailed 15 months for assaulting maid; sentence downgraded on compassionate grounds
A woman who abused her Indonesian domestic helper, including breaking her nose and using a plastic bowl to hit her head, was sentenced to 15 months' jail on Tuesday (Nov 19).
Jenny Chan Yun Hui, 42, began sobbing in the dock as District Judge Eddy Tham meted out the sentence, which he said had been downgraded on compassionate grounds as she has major depressive disorder.
In his oral grounds, the judge acknowledged that Chan was going through a "stressful time" during the period of the offences, which started about two months after Ms Rasi, who goes by one name, started working for her in February 2016.
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Woman who punched maid's eyes, fractured her nose jailed 15 months
A woman who viciously abused her family’s maid was jailed 15 months on Tuesday (19 November).
Jenny Chan Yun Hui, had punched and fractured Indonesian domestic worker Rasi’s nose. She also pinched Rasi’s ears and hit her head until they both bled. Despite the injuries inflicted, Chan did not seek medical help for the 27-year-old and only applied ointment to the latter’s wounds. Chan also forbade Rasi, who goes by a single name, from using any phones and speaking to neighbours.
In mitigation, Chan’s lawyer Gary Low said his client paid Rasi a total of $12,330 in compensation, which “reflected her sincere and profound remorse for her transgressions”. He added that two psychiatrists had found Chan’s major depressive disorder to be a contributing factor in her abusive behaviour.
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Man repeatedly molested maid, told her he can give her 'anything she wants'
A man who was not on good terms with his wife repeatedly molested his foreign domestic worker, even telling her he could give her "anything she wants", but was rejected by the Indonesian woman who said she wished only to do the work of a domestic helper.
Malaysian Yau Terng Phun, 56, was sentenced to jail for 15 months and six weeks on Tuesday (Oct 29) after pleading guilty to two counts of molestation and a third charge of insulting the maid's modesty.
Another five charges of molesting the woman were taken into consideration during sentencing.
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Jail for man who molested maid and took pictures of her in toilet
A domestic helper chided her male employer for taking photos of her while she was in the toilet but instead of showing remorse, he molested her repeatedly a few weeks later.
Unable to tolerate the abuse, she fled from the Malaysian deliveryman's flat on May 29, 2017, and alerted the Ministry of Manpower the next day.
Yau Terng Phun, 56,was sentenced on Tuesday (Oct 29) to 15 months and six weeks' jail.
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Boss jailed after admitting to molesting maid
A domestic helper chided her male employer for taking photos of her while she was in the toilet, but instead of showing remorse, he molested her repeatedly a few weeks later.
Unable to tolerate the abuse, she fled from the Malaysian deliveryman's flat on May 29, 2017, and alerted the Ministry of Manpower the next day.
Yau Terng Phun, 56, was sentenced yesterday to 15 months and six weeks' jail. The Singapore permanent resident had earlier pleaded guilty to two molestation charges and one count of insulting the maid's modesty.
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Heartless Employer Only Gives Maid ONE Meal a Day, Splashes Water If She’s Not Up by 5am
Too often, people tend to take for granted the domestic helpers that help us maintain our households. They cook, clean and tend to daily domestic issues that we are unable to attend to, so they should be given the same amount of respect that we give any working professional.
Unfortunately, some employers don’t recognise this and go about their days mistreating their domestic helpers.
One such case occurred last Friday when a video of an Indonesian domestic helper in Singapore went viral after she shared the story of how she had been ill-treated by her employer between tears.
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Maid alleges that she was only given one meal a day, and woken up at 5am with water splashed on her
Castina said she was so afraid because her employers would lock her up so that she was unable to leave
A video of a foreign domestic worker crying about how her employer has mistreated her has been circulated on social media, going viral.
In the video, uploaded on October 4, a maid was seen crying to another woman at the lift lobby of a Housing Development Board (HDB) block. The helper, named Castina, said that she was originally from a town in Java called Indramayu and that she does not want to work in Singapore anymore because it has been “depressing”.
The maid alleged that she was only given one meal a day, was woken up daily at 5am and that she would have water splashed on her face if she did not wake up.
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Woman to testify that she 'heard voices' after being sentenced to jail for maid abuse
A convicted maid abuser seeking to avoid jail time will be taking the stand to support her assertion that she heard voices that caused her to commit the offences.
Anita Damu, 51, is appealing against her jail term of two years and seven months for, among other things, pouring scalding hot water on her domestic worker and using a hot iron to hurt her.
The issue in contention between the prosecution and the defence is whether the convicted woman experienced auditory hallucinations at the time of the offences.
related: Convicted maid abuser to take the stand in appeal
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Woman gets 11 years' jail in one of Singapore's worst cases of maid abuse
A woman who used an array of household items – such as a hammer, chopper, bamboo pole and stone pestle or pounder – to hit her Indonesian maid, causing permanent disfiguration, was on Thursday (Aug 1) jailed for 11 years. This is believed to be the longest sentence for maid abuse.
Zariah Mohd Ali, 58, was also ordered to compensate the victim with a sum of nearly $56,000 or serve an additional five months in jail. Her husband Mohamad Dahlan, 60, was sentenced to 15 months’ jail for his role in the abuse, and told to pay the maid $1,000 or serve an additional five days’ jail.
The couple, who were previously convicted for abuse of another domestic worker in 2001, are appealing.
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Woman jailed 11 years after abuse left maid with deformed nose, scars
Ms Khanifa TNP PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Ms Khanifa, an Indonesian mother of two from Indramayu, West Java, thinks people are disgusted when they see her.
The 39-year-old has a deformed left ear, permanent and prominent scars on her forehead, on the back of her head and across her shoulders. Her left little finger is functionally impaired.
These resulted from injuries inflicted during a period of six months by her Singaporean employers Zariah Mohd Ali, 58, and her husband Mohamad Dahlan.
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Abuse by couple left maid, 39, disfigured and traumatised
Zariah Mohd Ali (above), 58, and her husband Mohamad Dahlan, 60
Ms Khanifah, a mother of two from Indramayu, West Java, thinks people are disgusted when they see her. The 39-year-old has a deformed left ear, and permanent and prominent scars on her forehead, back of her head and across her shoulders. Her left little finger is functionally impaired.
These injuries and disfigurations were inflicted during a period of six months by her Singaporean employers Zariah Mohd Ali, 58, and her husband Mohamad Dahlan, 60.
Found guilty in 2017 of 12 charges, Zariah was sentenced to 11 years in jail yesterday, believed to be the longest sentence for maid abuse. She was also ordered to pay Ms Khanifah a compensation of about $56,000, or serve an additional five months in jail.
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Abusive couple strikes again: 11 years' jail for woman whose assaults left helper with deformed ear, broken finger
Back in 2001, both of them were already prosecuted for abusing a different domestic worker in her 20s, Madam Tutik Rahayu Purwadi. They had rubbed sambal goreng — a Malay dish — on her eyes, hit her on her head with a mug, beaten her and left her with injuries to her ears because she had not cooked dishes properly.
Zariah was convicted then of causing hurt and using criminal force on Mdm Tutik, and was sentenced to 10 weeks’ jail and fined S$500. Her husband was convicted on two counts of causing hurt and was jailed for 12 weeks.
Prosecutors described the latest case as “indubitably one of the worst cases of maid abuse in Singapore’s recent history”.
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Man who abused Myanmar maid gets longer jail term on prosecution's appeal; his wife convicted of not paying worker's salary
A former regional manager who assaulted his Myanmar maid - the second domestic worker he was convicted of abusing - had his jail term for the second set of charges raised from 24 months to 30 months on Monday (Aug 26) by the High Court.
The increase came after the prosecution appealed against the sentence imposed by a district judge in March on Tay Wee Kiat, 41, on two charges relating to Ms Moe Moe Than.
The charges are for kicking Ms Moe Moe Than while she was in a push-up position and for instructing her to slap his other domestic worker, before making both maids worship in front of a Buddhist altar at home, even though one is a Christian and the other a Muslim.
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Prosecution calls for higher sentence in landmark maid abuse case, reversal of acquitted charge
The prosecution on Friday (Aug 2) appealed to a High Court judge to increase the sentence of a man convicted of maid abuse and to reverse an acquittal of a charge his wife faced.
Former IT manager Tay Wee Kiat, 41, had received two years' jail for his part in the abuse of 31-year-old maid Moe Moe Than in 2012.
His wife Chia Yun Ling, 43, was sentenced to three years and 11 months' jail and fined S$4,000 for 15 charges.
related:
Former IT manager received 2 yrs' jail for his part in abuse of 31-yr-old maid
Couple convicted of maid abuse guilty of abusing another domestic helper
Couple gets jail for abusing 2nd maid,caning her,forcing rice down her throat
Jail for woman who hammered out maid's teeth "worst" recent case of abuse
Maids' overtime pay is long overdue, a commentary
New sentencing framework for maid abuse cases
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Jail for couple who abused domestic helper by slapping and strangling her, biting her wrist
They hired an Indonesian domestic helper to take care of their newborn baby, but the unmarried couple abused her by slapping her several times, strangling her and even biting her wrist.
Lim Kheng Soon and Chong Siew Moi Jecyn Penpelnel, both Singaporeans, now face time behind bars.
Lim, 46, a taxi driver, was sentenced to three months and eight weeks’ jail on Wednesday (May 8) and ordered to pay compensation of S$1,000 to the helper, Ms Junairiyah Junaedi Artawi, 33.
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When family members abuse a maid together
One couple left their maid with a deformed ear. Another couple gave their maids only plain rice and water for their meals. Yet another pair abused their maid and threatened to send her to Batam for sex work.
These examples are part of a phenomenon where multiple members of a family abuse their foreign domestic workers, or maids.
It may be similar to school bullying, where one person leads and another follows suit: Experts.
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Overwork, verbal abuse most common grievances of maids, say Home and HK NGO in report on forced labour
Domestic workers who seek help for their work conditions mostly do so due to overwork, verbal abuse and salary issues - and many of their complaints appear to be "strong indicators of forced labour".
These are among the findings of a report released on Tuesday (Jan 15) by the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home) and Hong Kong-based anti-trafficking group Liberty Shared, looking into forced labour in Singapore's domestic work sector and calling for better protection of workers.
Forced labour refers to work or services exacted from a person "under the menace of any penalty and for which (he) has not offered himself voluntarily", according to the International Labour Organisation, a United Nations agency.
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Singapore’s foreign domestic workers vulnerable to forced labour, report finds
Foreign domestic maids in Singapore are susceptible to being victims of forced labour, despite them being documented workers with legal rights such as paid medical insurance and a rest day each week, according to a new report.
Between April 2017 and March last year, 872 workers complained of issues such as overwork, verbal abuse, salary problems, inadequate food, and having to give their employers massages, said migrant rights group Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home).
Their stories formed the basis of a report titled “Behind Closed Doors: Forced Labour in the Domestic Work Sector in Singapore” that Home and Hong Kong-based anti-human trafficking advocacy group Liberty Shared released on Tuesday.
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Ministry of Manpower
Multi-pronged approach to protect FDWs:
- Ms Stephanie Chok called for better protection for foreign domestic workers who are abused (“Time to consider rights-based protection for abused maids”; 25 July).
- Indeed, Singapore is committed to protecting the well-being and interests of all foreign domestic workers (FDWs). Our laws and regulations, which are reviewed regularly, provide strong and comprehensive protection to FDWs working in Singapore.
- The Singapore Government takes all cases of abuse seriously and thoroughly investigates all complaints. During the investigation period, FDWs are provided with care and support including shelter, food and medical treatment. For FDWs who are willing and able to continue working, MOM facilitates their employment so that they could maintain an income.
- Singapore also has a clear record of strict enforcement against abuses and exploitation of FDWs. This means that errant employers are investigated and punished accordingly. In addition, anyone who abuses a FDW faces 1.5 times the maximum punishment under the Penal Code and will be debarred from hiring FDWs in future.
- Through multiple platforms, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) informs and educates FDWs on their rights and responsibilities as well as on the various channels of help, such as at the Settling-In Programme which is mandatory for all first-time FDWs. FDWs in distress can, and do contact MOM, the Police, non-governmental organisations, employment agencies, and their Embassies for assistance.
- We urge FDWs and members of the public to swiftly report any suspected abuse cases to MOM at 6438 5122 or the Police at 1800-255 0000, http://www.police.gov.sg/iwitness or dial ‘999’ if urgent Police assistance is required. All information will be kept strictly confidential.
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6 out of 10 maids in Singapore are exploited: Survey
Domestic workers in Singapore (File photo: TODAY)
Six out of every 10 foreign domestic workers in Singapore are exploited by their employers, according to a recent survey, with the helpers citing bad living conditions, excessive working hours, deduction of salary and violence.
The survey, conducted by independent consultancy Research Across Borders, involved both foreign domestic workers and employers.
Among the 735 Filipino and Indonesian respondents, the majority of workers at 60 per cent were identified as exploited, with 23 per cent identified as victims of forced labour that involved threats, control, leverage or force. Only one-third of the workers did not report exploitation or coercion by their employers.
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MAID ABUSE (SINGAPORE)
The prosecution usually relies on one or more of the sections such as section 323, 323, 324 or 325 Penal Code, read with the enhancement provision, namely section 73 Penal Code for maid abuse cases, depending on the nature of the hurt caused. The punishment is usually a jail sentence. This is a relatively serious offence and if convicted, carries a jail sentence from a few months to a couple of years, depending on the number of charges. Accused that have been convicted included teachers, businessmen, professionals and even a news reader. In the recent case of Soh Meiyun v PP (2014), the Accused was given a fine as she was suffering from major depressive disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder which the IMH psychiatrist said had contributed to the offences. In the case of Chua Siew Peng (2017), the Accused’s sentence was enhanced upon Appeal. The Accused was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, but the crucial point was there was no casual link between the schizophrenia and the commission of the offence.
Some examples of maid abuse:
- Hitting head
- Using furniture to injure maid
- Slapping maid
- Twisting maid’s arms, pulling hair
- Using weapon such as cutter, broom, chair etc
- Uttering vulgarities
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Why Is Maid Abuse So Prevalent In Singapore?
One of the embarrassing things Singapore is known for in Southeast Asia is maid abuse. The number of such cases in Singapore has been increasing rapidly. According to the State Courts, there were a total of 26 maid abuse cases filed last year. This is nearly double the 14 filed in 2012. You can read some of the horrible stories here.
The most recent case of abuse would be that of Ms Thelma Oyasan Gawidan from the Philippines. Her Singaporean employers – Lim Choon Hong and his wife Chong Sui Foon – deprived her of food. The only food they provided for her was instant noodles and plain bread twice a day. As a result, her weight dropped dramatically from 49kg to 29kg! Many were enraged that the couple would at most be charged with a fine of $10,000 and one year of jail. Many Singaporeans were enraged that the couple would at most be charged with a fine of $10,000 and one year of jail. Quoting Terry Xu from The Online Citizen:
- THE FACT THAT THE COUPLE IS MERELY CHARGED UNDER THE EMPLOYMENT OF FOREIGN MANPOWER ACT, SHOWS THE KIND OF RIGHTS THAT DOMESTIC WORKERS HAVE. THE PROCEEDINGS ALSO SHOW HOW MUCH RIGHTS THE DOMESTIC WORKERS KNOW OF THEIR RIGHTS OR WHERE TO SEEK HELP.
- WHAT THE DOMESTIC WORKER HAS GONE THROUGH, SHOULD AMOUNT NO LESS THAN TORTURE AND ILLEGAL IMPRISONMENT OR EVEN ATTEMPTED MURDER.
- WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD BE DOING IF THEY ARE REALLY ENRAGED BY THIS INCIDENT, IS NOT TO CALL FOR THE COUPLE TO BE KILLED OR A HEAVY PUNISHMENT BUT FOR MIGRANT WORKERS TO BE GIVEN THE SAME RIGHTS AS LOCAL WORKERS UNDER THE EMPLOYMENT ACT. ARE THEY DOING ANY LESS THAN WHAT LOCALS ARE DOING, IF NOT MORE. THEN WHY GIVE THEM LESS RIGHTS AS WORKERS?
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Employer's guide: foreign domestic worker
This guide aims to help you build a positive working relationship with your foreign domestic worker (FDW). It includes information on rest days, well-being, salary and other matters:
- Rest days and well-being - Guidelines for an FDW's rest days and well-being, including accommodation and safety.
- Contracts and safety agreement - Signing an employment contract and safety agreement with your FDW.
- Salary guidelines - Guidelines for paying your FDW's monthly salary.
- Resolving disputes - How to get help if you have a dispute with your FDW or employment agency.
- Abuse and ill-treatment - Employers will face severe penalties if convicted of abusing an FDW.
- Employment rules - Where an FDW is allowed to work, including penalties for illegal employment or deployment.
- FDW interview - What to expect if your FDW is selected to attend an interview with MOM.
- Sending an FDW home - Steps to take to send your FDW home when the employment ends.
- Overseas leave for FDW - Overseas leave for FDWs, including home leave. Includes levy waiver and what to do if the FDW does not return.
- When employers can be debarred - Find out when an employer can be debarred from employing FDWs.
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Jail for man who filmed wife's maid showering, cut holes in toilet door
An officer with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) who filmed his wife's maid showering was sentenced to 12 weeks' jail on Wednesday (Jun 26).
The 30-year-old man, whose name was redacted from court documents, pleaded guilty to two charges of insulting the Indonesian maid's modesty. Another three charges were taken into consideration. The court heard that the 36-year-old victim was working as a domestic helper for the family of the officer's wife, and they all lived together.
The officer developed an urge in late 2016 to see the maid bathing in the bathroom, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Genevieve Pang.
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Man made holes in toilet door to peep at maid
The 30-year-old man, who was working as an officer with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority at the time, also took videos of his relatives bathing.
Yesterday, he was jailed for 12 weeks on two charges of insult of modesty. Three similar charges were taken into consideration.
The man, who cannot be named, to protect the identity of the victims, was staying in the same unit as his wife and her family at the time.
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Singaporean salon manager jailed for abusing Myanmar maid
A Singaporean woman who abused her Myanmar maid by forcing her to pour hot water on herself, pulling her hair out and hitting her was jailed for three years on Monday.
Singapore is home to almost 250,000 maids, mostly from other parts of Southeast Asia, who head to the tiny but wealthy city-state to earn far higher salaries. Beauty parlour manager Linda Seah, 39, was convicted last month for the abuse inflicted on Phyu Phyu Mar in 2016.
The mistreatment detailed in six charges included two instances when the maid was forced to pour hot water onto her left shoulder, leaving her with burn marks and blisters. Seah also forced her to drink "water adulterated with floor cleaner", according to the charges.
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Woman jailed 10 months after hitting helper
A paralegal was so angry with her Indonesian domestic helper for giving her mother pills that had spilled on the floor that she repeatedly struck her with a wooden scratcher, causing injuries including two fractured fingers.
Ng Bee Choo, 48, was jailed for 10 months yesterday after she admitted causing grievous hurt to Ms Weti Alimi Carmadi.
Ms Weti, 33, started working at Ng's Circuit Road flat in October 2016. Her duties included taking care of Ng's aged, wheelchair-bound mother who has heart problems.
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Woman punched maid so hard she fractured her nose
A woman abused her Indonesian domestic helper two months after she started working for the household, causing injuries including a broken nose.
Jenny Chan Yun Hui also hit Ms Rasi's head with a plastic bowl, causing bleeding, and struck the maid's face multiple times until her left eye became so swollen she was unable to see out of it.
Chan, 41, pleaded guilty in court yesterday to three assault charges, including one count of causing grievous hurt.
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Three years' jail for woman who forced maid to scald herself
Linda Seah Lei Sie and her husband, Lim Toon Leng. TNP PHOTO: WONG KWAI CHOW
A beauty salon manager tormented her maid for months, forcing her to perform acts of self-harm, including pouring hot water on herself and drinking dirty water mixed with detergent.
Linda Seah Lei Sie, 39, was sentenced to three years' jail yesterday after District Judge Olivia Low found her guilty of abusing Ms Phyu Phyu Mar following a 15-day trial.
The manager of Anew Me Beauty Aesthetic salon at The Centrepoint shopping mall was also ordered to pay $11,800 in compensation to the maid.
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Jail for couple who punched, forced maid to drink dirty mop water
Linda Seah and Lim Toon Leng arriving at the State Courts on Feb 11
A husband and wife were sentenced to jail on Monday (Feb 11) for abusing their domestic helper by, among other things, making her drink dirty water mixed with dog hair and a floor cleaning agent.
Linda Seah Lei Sie, a 39-year-old beauty salon manager who was convicted of six charges, was sentenced to three years in jail for instigating most of the abuses.
She had told Myanmar national Phyu Phyu Mar to knock her head hard against the kitchen floor, saying that the maid agency had ordered it, and grabbed the helper’s hair so forcefully that a chunk of it fell out.
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Married couple who ordered maid to pour hot water on herself convicted of abuse
Tormented for months, a maid was forced to perform multiple acts of self-harm, including pouring scalding hot water on herself and drinking dirty water mixed with detergent.
Ms Phyu Phyu Mar also did not receive her monthly salary of $700 throughout her employment with her abusers, and her weight plummeted from 50kg to 38kg because of a lack of food.
On Friday (Jan 18), District Judge Olivia Low found Linda Seah Lei Sie, 39, and her husband Lim Toon Leng, 44, guilty of abusing the Myanmar national following a 15-day trial.
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Couple sentenced to jail for abusing maid, who was caned and forced to eat own vomit
A married couple repeatedly abused their maid, caning and kicking her and force-feeding her a mixture of rice and sugar before ordering her to eat her own vomit when she threw up.
On one occasion, Myanmar national Moe Moe Than, 32, was forced to perform her chores clad in only her bra and short pants.
She was also told that an assassin would be hired to kill her family members back home.
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Myanmar maid forced to eat her own vomit by employers
Earlier this week (25 September), a domestic helper from Myanmar testified in court. She said that she was abused by her Singaporean employers and they often hit her and even made her eat her own vomit after she was force-fed. Her case added to the long list of cases of Singapore maid abuse
The domestic helper – Moe Moe Than – was testifying against her previous employers Tay Wee Kiat, 39, and his wife Chia Yun Ling, 41, in the State Courts before District Judge Olivia Low, say reports. Than spoke in court about the range of “punishments.” They would allegedly can her buttocks, slap and hit her on the head and force her to wear just her bra and shorts.
Once, Chia was annoyed that Than had not given her daughter adequate water. So she allegedly made Than strip naked, then took a photo of her. Chia proceeded to laugh at the image and also show it to the other domestic helper she employed, an Indonesian woman named Fitriyah.
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Man who assaulted, raped niece's maid gets 10.5 years' jail
A 53-year-old security officer who raped his relative's maid was sentenced to jail for 10-and-a-half years on Monday (Mar 18).
The man, who was referred to only as A1 in court documents, had preyed on the 26-year-old Indonesian domestic helper, who worked for his niece.
The Singaporean man, who cannot be caned as he is above 50 years old, had a rented flat in Johor Bahru with his girlfriend and travelled daily to Chinatown Plaza for work.
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Couple gets jail for abusing second maid, caning her and forcing rice down her throat
A Singaporean couple who abused a domestic helper from Myanmar by caning her, force-feeding her and instructing her to eat her vomit, was sentenced to jail and fined on Monday (Mar 18).
Moe Moe Than was subjected to various forms of abuse in 2012, sleeping fewer than six hours a day on a mattress in the living room without a pillow or blanket, eating mostly rice on its own or with sugar, and being slapped and caned by her employers.
Former IT manager Tay Wee Kiat, 41, was sentenced to two years’ jail for abusing the 31-year-old helper by caning her, hitting her with a broomstick, kicking her while she was in a push-up position, and making another maid and her slap each other.
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Jail for Singapore woman who abused helper for doing chores slowly
A woman in Singapore who abused her Myanmar domestic helper by forcing her to pour hot water on herself, pulling her hair out and hitting her was jailed for three years on Monday.
Singapore is home to almost 250,000 domestic helpers, mostly from other parts of Southeast Asia, who head to the tiny but wealthy city state to earn far higher salaries.
Beauty parlour manager Linda Seah, 39, was convicted last month for the abuse inflicted on Phyu Phyu Mar in 2016.
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Married couple convicted of abusing maid who was ordered to pour hot water on herself
Tormented for months, a maid was forced to perform multiple acts of self-harm, including pouring scalding hot water on herself and drinking dirty water mixed with detergent.
Ms Phyu Phyu Mar also did not receive her monthly salary of $700 throughout her employment with her abusers, and her weight plummeted from 50kg to 38kg because of a lack of food.
On Friday (Jan 18), District Judge Olivia Low found Linda Seah Lei Sie, 39, and her husband Lim Toon Leng, 44, guilty of abusing the Myanmar national following a 15-day trial.
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Woman convicted of forcing maid to hurt self with hot water
A Singaporean woman was found guilty on Friday (Jan 18) of abusing her Myanmar maid, including forcing her to pour hot water onto herself and to drink water laced with floor cleaner.
The abuse of the maid, Phyu Phyu Mar, happened from August to October 2016 at the house of the Singaporean married couple who employed her, according to court documents.
The abuses detailed in six charges against the wife - Linda Seah, 39 - include two instances when the maid was forced to pour hot water onto her left shoulder "to voluntarily cause hurt to herself".
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31-month jail, fines for woman who abused Indonesian maid
Justice for the Indonesian domestic worker and it has been finally served to her employer-abuser Anita Damu after the sentencing was postponed last October as Damu was rushed to hospital as she felt ill while the court was about to pass the verdict.
Anita Damu, also known as Shazana Abdullah, who had pleaded guilty to five charges of maid abuse last September was sentenced to 31-month imprisonment and was ordered to pay $8,000 on top of the $4,000 she already paid as compensation for the loss of income of her maid, Siti Khodijah.
District Judge Terence Tay did not honor the psychiatric disorder alibi plead by the defense as Anita was aware of what she was doing to her maid, and knew that it was wrong. She even instructed the maid to tell a lie to the doctor regarding the causes of the injuries because if not, she would go to jail.
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Woman jailed for punching maid, nearly caused her to go blind
Maid abuse cases in Singapore have skyrocketed. Take a look at this recent case where a woman expressed her emotions a little too strongly and punched her maid in the face. Her repeated abuse almost made the maid go blind.
According to The Straits Times, Suzanna Bong Sim Swana was jailed for 20 months and was ordered to pay over $38,000 in compensation for repeatedly abusing and exploiting her Myanmarese maid, Ms Than Than Soe. It all started in a Yishun flat that belonged to Bong’s parents in May 2013 where the maid was not given any days off.
Initially, Bong would just scold her maid. But after four months, Bong started finding fault with her work and it escalated into physical abuse.
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Jail for woman who pressed hot iron on maid's hands, pinched her with pliers
A woman who subjected her domestic worker to physical abuse for more than a year, leaving her covered in welts and with burn marks, was sentenced to 31 months' jail on Monday (Dec 24).
Anita Damu, also known as Shazana Abdullah, employed 27-year-old Siti Khodijah from Indonesia to work for her as a maid in October 2013 for S$522 a month.
She was given only five hours of sleep - between 11pm and 4am - daily for about 15 months, deputy public prosecutors Yang Ziliang and Claire Poh said.
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Singaporean couple who abused Indonesian maid convicted again for abusing Myanmar helper
After getting jail sentences for their severe mistreatment of an Indonesian domestic helper, a Singaporean couple could be serving even more time in prison for abusing their second domestic helper, who’s from Myanmar.
Tay Wee Kiat, 41, and his wife Chia Yun Ling, 43, have been found guilty of multiple charges of abuse against Moe Moe Than, according to Yahoo News Singapore. The 31-year-old maid had been subjected to a series of savage physical mistreatment, including being forced to eat her own vomit.
Chia, a mother of three, was found guilty of eight assault charges and one count of using abusive words towards the Moe Moe Than, as well as six offenses under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. Her husband was convicted of six assault charges.
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Singaporean couple jailed for 'worst of its kind' maid abuse
A Singaporean couple was on Monday, March 18, jailed for abusing a Myanmar maid after the pair force-fed her with a funnel, made her eat her own vomit and threatened to kill her family if she reported the maltreatment.
In a case described by Singapore prosecutors as "arguably one of the worst of its kind" in the city-state, the married couple – who were sentenced two years ago over the abuse of another maid – beat and kicked their helper and made her clean the house in her underwear.
Moe Moe Than, 32, was also given little food, limited use of the toilet and faced threats that her parents in Myanmar would be killed if she reported the abuse, court documents showed.
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Singaporean couple jailed for 'worst of its kind' abuse of Myanmar maid
A Singaporean couple was on Monday jailed for abusing a Myanmar maid after the pair force-fed her with a funnel, made her eat her own vomit and threatened to kill her family if she reported the maltreatment.
In a case described by Singapore prosecutors as "arguably one of the worst of its kind" in the city-state, the married couple, who were sentenced two years ago over the abuse of another maid, beat and kicked their helper and made her clean the house in her underwear. Ma Moe Moe Than, 32, was also given little food, limited use of the toilet and faced threats that her parents in Myanmar would be killed if she reported the abuse, court documents showed.
District Judge Olivia Low on Monday sentenced the woman, Ms Chia Yun Ling, to 47 months in prison and ordered her to pay a fine. Her husband, Mr Tay Wee Kiat, a former information technology manager, was jailed for 24 months. They were ordered to pay compensation to the maid.
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20 months' jail for woman who nearly blinded maid
A woman who nearly blinded her maid by punching her in the face whenever she became angry was jailed for a year and eight months yesterday.
The injuries, including retinal detachment, caused Myanmar national Than Than Soe to be blind in her left eye, while her right eye was injured severely.
Singaporean Suzanna Bong Sim Swan, 46, had also forced her to sleep on the floor, refused to pay her salary and denied her any days off during the two years she employed her, a court heard.
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Singapore couple faces long jail term for abusing second maid, who was forced to eat own vomit
A Singapore couple tortured and abused their Burmese domestic helper by caning and kicking her. They also forcefully feed her a mixture of rice and sugar by using a funnel and when the victim threw up they ordered her to eat her own vomit. As per the court documents, the victim is a 32-year-old Myanmar national, Moe Moe Than, also forced to perform her chores clad while wearing bra and shots. On Monday, both the abusers were presented in court for sentencing.
The 41-year-old Tay Wee Kiat, a former regional IT manager sentenced to two years of jail term and asked to pay a compensation of $3,000 as he was found guilty of six charges of causing hurt.
His wife, Chia Yun Ling, 43, convicted of 15 charges, was sentenced to three years and 11 months of imprisonment, including a fine of $4,000. Chia was also asked to pay her maid $6,500 as compensation. The sentencing took place just two weeks later both the accused were convicted of maid abuse.
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Myanmar maid recounts incidents of abuse by Singaporean couple
A maid from Myanmar has alleged that her Singaporean employers abused her on many occasions including hitting her on the head and buttocks, and forcing her to eat her own vomit.
Moe Moe Than, now 29, was testifying against Tay Wee Kiat, a 39-year-old former IT manager, and his wife Chia Yun Ling, 41, in the State Courts before District Judge Olivia Low on Monday (25 September).
Tay faces 19 charges including voluntarily causing hurt to Than, and abetting in voluntarily causing hurt by asking Than and Fitriyah, an Indonesian maid who was also employed by the couple, to slap each other. Chia faces 11 charges including voluntarily causing hurt and insulting Than’s modesty.
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WOMAN LETS 8 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER ABUSE MAID, JOINS IN AS WELL
An Indonesian maid, Ms Intan Atikah, suffered for 11 months being frequently abused by her employer, who spat on her face, called her names, withheld her salary and on one occasion, even ripping off the tudung off her head.
She tried running away once, but was caught and carried back to the flat. Neighbours at the Clementi flat where she was in had also called the police three time between December 2015 and March 2016 because they were alarmed by her loud cries and concerned she was being tortured.
It finally culminated in her employer, Suriyati Matrawee, 42, being arrested and sentenced to 16 weeks jail. What was even sadder was that it was her 8 year old daughter who had started abusing the maid just weeks after she started working for them. The girl punched and kicked the maid, and the mother did nothing to stop the abuse.
related: Maid Abuse
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COURT UPHOLDS CONVICTION OF COUPLE FOUND GUILTY OF MAID ABUSE, INCREASES HUSBAND’S JAIL TERM
The High Court has upheld the conviction of a married couple found guilty in a district court of abusing their Indonesian maid for almost two years.
The court has also laid out a sentencing framework for maid abuse cases. If the abuse is both physical and psychological, the court will identify the degree of harm caused in relation to each charge.
This comes after Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon signalled the need to review sentencing benchmarks “upwards” for maid abuse offences.
related: MAID ABUSE
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Jail for 64-year-old Singaporean who repeatedly abused Indonesian maid
A real estate agent assaulted her mother's Indonesian maid just one month after she started working in the household and repeatedly abused the helper, who was not allowed to communicate with others.
The abuse came to light after a neighbor alerted the police. The neighbor became aware of the abuse after coming across notes written by the maid to her own helper.
During the four-day trial, Ema Rahmawati, 24, testified that Khoo Mee Choo punched her head, hit her with a bunch of chopsticks, kicked her buttocks, pulled her hair and pinched her arm.
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Employer who molested his maid sentenced to 11 months' jail
A 49-year-old sales manager who molested his newly hired maid in 2016 was sentenced to 11 months' jail on Friday (Jul 13).
Francis Lim Boon Liang hired the Indonesian maid, then 23, in November 2016.
The young domestic worker, who cannot be named due to a gag order, stayed with Lim, his wife and two children.
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Woman who pushed maid's head against toilet wall gets jail and compensation order
A 45-year-old woman who pushed her Indonesian maid so hard that it left blood on the toilet wall was on Friday (Sep 21) sentenced to 13 months' jail.
Rospidah Tukiman had been furious that her maid, Tumijah, did not tell her that her daughter fell on an escalator and injured her leg in February 2016.
The maid, now 32, also bought Rospidah the wrong lunch and gave her a dirty spoon, further angering her, the court heard. Tumijah also did not give one of Rospidah's two daughters her lunch.
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Couple jailed, fined for starving maid, who lost 20kg
For starving their Filipino domestic helper, which caused her weight to plummet by almost 20kg over a 15-month period, a Singaporean couple was sentenced to jail and a fine by a district court on Monday (March 27).
Freelance trader Lim Choon Hong, 48 — who was convicted last March under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act for failing to provide adequate food to his domestic helper — was jailed three weeks and fined a maximum S$10,000.
His wife Chong Sui Foon, 48, who was found guilty of abetting him, was jailed three months.
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Woman jailed for burning maid with heated metal spoon
She brutally abused her maid just one month after the Myanmar national started working for her.
On two occasions, Zinnerah Abdul Majeed, now 28, used a heated metal spoon to burn Ms May Thu Phyo, causing multiple second-degree burns that were likely to leave permanent scars.
Between late August and Sept 3 last year, Zinnerah hit the maid with a bicycle lock, a metal belt buckle, a television remote control, a bamboo pole and the handle of a butter knife.
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Mum and daughter jailed for abusing maid
They slapped their maid, pinched her mouth, jabbed her foot with a metal prong and even used the back of a knife to hit her hand. Whenever the bruises showed, the maid, who was left scarred and with a permanent disability in her left ear, was forced to wear a face mask.
Yesterday, the abusers, a 65-year- old woman and her daughter, were jailed for hurting the maid.
Housewife Anpalaki Muniandy Marimuthu was convicted of six charges of hurting Ms Sriyatun, 27, and imprisoned for 16 months. Her daughter, 43-year-old warehouse supervisor Jayasheela Jayaraman, was found guilty of three charges, sentenced to 12 months' jail and ordered to pay $840 in compensation.
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10 Shocking Facts About The Maid Abuse Case That You Should Know
Most people’s hearts have gone out to the maid after hearing her tragic abuse story. For the uninitiated, a couple starved their maid, deprived her of food and did not allow her to speak to anyone. The trial has been going on since 14 Dec.
Thelma Oyasan Gawidan, the victim of this maid abuse case survived on bread and instant noodles throughout her torture period employment, causing her weight to plummet from 49kg to 29kg. The domestic worker claimed that her employers kept surveillance of her round the clock and she only managed to escape when they left her alone to clean the area outside their Orchard Road condominium. With the help of a fellow Filipina, Gawidan managed to get to a shelter run by the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home).
Her tormentors, Lim Choon Hong and his wife Chong Sui Foon, both 47, have claimed trial to one offence under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act — which is punishable to up to 12 months jail and/or $10 000 fine.
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Some of Singapore's worst maid abusers
The number of maid abuse cases in Singapore that have come before the courts has been on the rise in recent years.
Statistics from the State Courts show that in 2014, there were 26 maid abuses cases, almost double that in 2012. In the past five years, the courts saw a total of 90 cases, reported The Straits Times. This works out to an average of 18 cases a year, or about one case every three weeks.
Here are some of the worst maid abusers from the last 10 years:
- Indonesian maid was subjected to what was described as "systematic torture".
- punched her maid in the eye and chest,kicked her in the groin area until she bled
- property agent Wong Pui Kwan, 28, jailed for a year for abusing her Filipina maid
- sleep on a carpet at night, and was allowed to bathe only once every three days
- hit her with a bamboo pole on the head, back and thighs
- angry that her maid Siti Kamsiyah had used too much oil
- poked her Indonesian maid, Ms Tardem, all over her head
- jail in March 2012 for punching and kicking his Indonesian maid
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Jailed For Abuse Of Maid
Lim Choon Hong (left) & his wife Chong Sui Foon (right) were jailed for 3 weeks & three months respectively
A Singaporean couple have been jailed for starving their domestic worker from the Philippines, in a case that has shocked the city-state.
The woman lost 20kg (44 lbs) - about 40% of her body weight - while working for them, and was given only bread and instant noodles to eat. Her employers received jail sentences of three weeks and three months.
Many Singaporeans hire live-in helpers from neighbouring countries, and abuse cases are not uncommon.
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Here is a look at past cases of high-profile maid abuse
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Full Coverage:
Couple jail for abusing 2nd maid, caning her,forcing rice down her throat
Couple convicted of maid abuse guilty of abusing another domestic helper
Woman who pinched, punched Indonesian maid jailed
Woman convicted of forcing maid to hurt self with hot water
Jail for woman who pressed hot iron on maid's hands, pinched her with pliers
Woman who abused maid over 3 months sentenced to jail
Woman who abused Myanmar maid sentenced to more than 2 years' jail
Employer who molested his maid sentenced to 11 months' jail
Couple on trial for abuse offered bribes to silence maid
Woman pushed maid's head against toilet wall jail compensation order
Woman jailed for punching maid, nearly caused her to go blind
Husband and wife accused of abusing maid in Singapore
Couple convicted of maid abuse found guilty of abusing another
Maid who was caned given insufficient food and forced to eat own vomit
Couple abused maid ask her drink polluted water,pour hot water on herself
Man kicked two maids, hit them with canes, court told
Court upholds conviction of couple found guilty of maid abuse
Maid who was caned, given insufficient food & forced to eat own vomit
Domestic Maid drew Flak for Posting on TikTok
Acquittal of maid warrants further investigation
Maid abuse? What about the reverse?
Jailed For Abuse Of Maid
Do 'maid cameras' cross the line?
Maid tossing items out of a window
Indonesian maid allegedly killed 1-yr-old baby under her care
From 49kg to 29kg in 15 months
Maids And Murders
Buy a discount maid at Singapore's malls
Street Fights Vs Lewd Games
Acquittal of maid warrants further investigation
Maid abuse? What about the reverse?
Jailed For Abuse Of Maid
Do 'maid cameras' cross the line?
Maid tossing items out of a window
Indonesian maid allegedly killed 1-yr-old baby under her care
From 49kg to 29kg in 15 months
Maids And Murders
Buy a discount maid at Singapore's malls
Street Fights Vs Lewd Games
Spate of Online Scams
Spate of NUS molestation cases
Spate of fires linked to charging of PMDs
Spate of maid abuse cases
Spate of Mishaps at crown Jewel
Spate of Scoot 'flight disruptions'
Spate of fires linked to charging of PMDs
Spate of maid abuse cases
Spate of Mishaps at crown Jewel
Spate of Scoot 'flight disruptions'
Spate of Teacher-Student Misconduct
Spate of SingPost 'service failures'
Spate of Data Breaches In Singapore
Spate of MOH's slip-ups
Spate of food poisoning cases
Spate of molestation and outrage of modesty
Spate of MRT disruptions
Spate of e-bike accidents
Spate of cars flipping over
Spate of facade cladding falling off
Spate of Escalator accidents
Spate of lift accidents
Spate of SingPost 'service failures'
Spate of Data Breaches In Singapore
Spate of MOH's slip-ups
Spate of food poisoning cases
Spate of molestation and outrage of modesty
Spate of MRT disruptions
Spate of e-bike accidents
Spate of cars flipping over
Spate of facade cladding falling off
Spate of Escalator accidents
Spate of lift accidents
