The Maid - Unholy Acts In The Holiest Place (14)

Another Indonesian maid dies in S. Arabia 
Mustaqim Adamrah

“Sister, I’m sick. I cannot stop vomiting blood. If I die, please do me a favor. I entrust father and mother to you.”

It was the last text message from 18-year-old Ernawati binti Sujono Konderin, an Indonesian migrant worker in Saudi Arabia, sent to her family on Jan. 26 before her final contact by the phone with her older sister, Yenni Larasati, on Feb. 1.

“I was really sad when reading her fi nal text message. I rushed to Jakarta on Jan. 31 from Tanjung Pinang [Riau Islands] to report Ernawati’s situation to the Foreign Ministry,”
Yenni said on Tuesday in a press conference at Migrant CARE Headquarters.

“On Feb. 1, [Ernawati] said over the phone that her employer’s son had tried to rape her. She was crying. After that, there were no more calls or text messages from her.”

Yenni said Ernawati was forced to kneel while her employer often slapped, punched, kicked, threw things at her or whipped her with a hose.
The employer’s lover allegedly followed suit.
She never received her salary, Yenni added.

Ernawati died on Feb. 10, 10 days after Yenni filed the report, from injuries allegedly sustained from physical abuse at the hands of her employer and his lover, according to Yenni.

“Every time I asked a ministry employee about my report, they told me it was still being processed — until my sister’s co-worker called our family on Feb. 10, saying she had died.”

Yenni said she was finally convinced of her sister’s death on Feb. 13, when someone at a hospital called her on Ernawati’s cell phone after Yenni’s numerous text messages and phone calls went unanswered.

“The guy at the other end said there was an Indonesian who had died and had been at the hospital for three days. I got all this information on my own, not from the ministry or the embassy,” Yenni said.

In a letter the Indonesian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Gatot Abdullah Mansyur, sent in February to the foreign minister, the manpower and transmigration minister and the head of the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI), he said that the Al-Muntazah police in Hail had received a report about an Indonesian migrant worker who was being treated for swallowing rat poison.

“How can the ministry and the embassy say my sister died from rat poison while at the same time they tell me an autopsy on her body is about to begin?” Yenni said.

She also said the ministry and the embassy insisted they could not reach Ernawati’s workplace in time because it was in Hail, 700 kilometers from the embassy.

“Was it really that hard to get there? I flew from Tanjung Pinang, more than a thousand kilometers from Jakarta, to seek justice and it took only one hour and 20 minutes,” she said.

“Had they immediately followed up on my report and evacuated my sister, she might still alive now.”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Michael Tene and the director for legal aid and protection of Indonesian nationals overseas, Tatang Budie Utama Razak, could not be reached for comment.

University of Indonesia international relations expert Hariyadi Wirawan said embassy staff did not arrive in time possibly due to diplomats’ reluctance to travel that distance or a lack of financial and human resources.

Only two weeks ago, an Indonesian maid named Ruyati binti Satubi was beheaded by Saudi authorities after being convicted of murdering her employer, who had mistreated her.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono met Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Indonesia Abdulrahman Mohammed Amen al-Khayyat at the latter’s request at the State Palace on Tuesday.

However, instead of expressing displeasure, Yudhoyono hailed Saudi Arabia for “giving aid” to an Islamic organization.

Migrant CARE executive director Anis Hidayah said she had reported the ministry, the embassy and the BNP2TKI to the Ombudsman Commission, which receives complaints of poor public service, for alleged “negligence that led to Ernawati’s death”.

Source: The Jakarta Post - June 30, 2011

****** ****** ******

Divorcee Ruyati binti Satubi became a migrant worker for the first time in 1999.
She returned to Saudi Arabia again and worked for six years.

Her children asked her to change her mind when she was about to leave for the third time.
She was adamant of not wanting to see her three children facing bleak future.
One of them is in nursing school.
And she wanted to buy her son a car.

She insisted to fly to the Holy Land seeking fortune yet again, only to meet bitterness.
After a year and four months, she was beheaded.

From information that the family gathered, the grandmother of seven was tortured a lot from the very beginning of employment.
She had broken her leg during the initial three months, because of torture.
She was not admitted to hospital, but was treated by one of her employer’s children was a doctor.

Although Ruyati was a victim of violence by her employer, during trial, Ruyati confessed murdering 64-year old Khairiyah Majlad on 12 January, 2010.

She was not paid her three-months salary of SR 2400 despite being asked many times.
She was found guilty of of ruthlessly killing her employer, by repeatedly stabbing her.

For her offense, the 54-year old housemaid was executed by decapitation in Saudi Arabia.
One more Indonesian worker was beheaded in Saudi Arabia, on June 18, 2011.

The Indonesian embassy had not been advised beforehand about the execution.
The government saw the beheading as an unfair decision.
The execution over Ruyati is a great shock for many, irritated a lot of parties.

Migrant Care, an NGO that works for the rights of Indonesian migrant workers stressed that the government has failed to protect its citizen.
It had earlier reminded the government about Ruyati’s legal process in March 2011.

But the government denied it had been slow in preventing the decapitation penalty.
The execution has left Yudhoyono's government on the defensive as critics said there was not enough protection for Indonesian workers overseas.

Indonesia had summoned the Saudi envoy to express its "disappointment and deep regret" over the execution.

"We respect their legal system, but in this case, we feel they have failed to fulfil the Geneva convention on how to interact among countries," Teuku Faizasyah, the presidential spokesman for international affairs told Reuters.

"(The Saudi government) are being disrespectful of convention, they should have informed the embassy on any occurrence involving our nationals, especially in such cases where they are planning to execute our nationals," he said.

******

Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Indonesia Abdulrahman Mohammed Amin Al-Khayyat on Monday, June 20, had apologised for the execution of Ruyati.

He expressed regret that Indonesian Embassy was not given prior notice of the execution.
He assured Indonesia that it will not happen ever again.

******

Through RI Consulate General in Jeddah, the government has fought hard against the death penalty.
It had requesting the Saudi Board of Pardon (lajnatul afwu) to release Ruyati.

But the deceased family did not forgive her act.
The family did not forgive their 54-year old domestic helper Ruyati binti Satubi.

Indonesian government could not break the rigidity of death sentence in Saudi Arabia.

******

Ruyati’s three children in Bekasi, West Java, were initially informed by Migrant Care of Ruyati’s first hearing session on May 17, 2010.

In January 2011, they were told that the case was still on-going.
The family was then notified by the Foreign Ministry about the schedule for the next hearing that would take place in May 2011.

They had been struggling hard to find news about their mother's condition in foreign land.

Before long, a verdict was delivered, followed by an execution without them ever knowing anything about it.

Four hours before the mother was to be executed, one of her daughter saw the sight of 'her' in their kitchen.

Later, Migrant Care called to inform the mother had passed away.

******

The only person who had knowledge of the violence that led to 54-year-old Ruyati murdering her employer was Warni.
She is a fellow Indonesian worker who was hired by Ruyati’s employer too.

She knew a great deal about what Ruyati had to endure prior to the murder as they slept in the same room. She witnessed how the grandmother was punched and kicked.

Warni was reluctant to discuss Ruyati’s ordeal as it was Ruyati’s own request.
The grandmother had told her not to tell the children about what she saw.
She only revealed the truth after local police in Mecca moved in to arrest her.

******

Irwan Setiawan, the youngest of Ruyati’s three children, remember his mother as “a quiet and well-adjusted woman”.
She was reluctant to talk much about hardship she endured as a migrant worker.
She only talked about the good things in Saudi Arabia.

Irwan expressed his disappointment towards the role of the Indonesian government in helping his mother’s cause.
He felt neglected.

Ruyati’s family said they were let down by PT Dasa Graha Utama, a labour recruiting company which arranged Ruyati’s employment in Saudi Arabia.
At her age, Ruyati should have been ineligible to be sent abroad as a domestic worker.
The company had falsified information about the grandmother's age by registering her as 11 years younger.

Both the government and PT Dasa Graha Utama have responded to the grievances from Ruyati’s family by offering Rp 90 million (US$10,440) in compensation.

The family would wait until they have their mother's body home, despite information from the government that she was already been buried in Mecca, not far from the body of Saidatina Siti Khadijah, the wife of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.

There are 216 Indonesians overseas facing execution, including 26 in Saudi Arabia.

Currently, there are 2.2 million Indonesians working in Malaysia and 1.5 million in Saudi Arabia.
Around 90 percent work as house maids and drivers for individual employers.

Not By Choice

Conversations With A Sex Worker  

A young Cambodian relates the appalling events that led her into prostitution.

It was the sort of day that made you want to really seize all opportunities.
There was a beautiful blue sky dotted with white wisps of clouds and the kind of sun benevolent enough not to burn your skin.
It was 8am in Cambodia and the adventure at hand was a trip through Angkor Archaeological Park.
My guide?
A 22-year-old sex worker named Samnang, the Cambodian word for Good Fortune.

“You can call me Sam,” she said, smiling shyly.

I had met Sam two days earlier, by accident, when I got lost meandering through the streets of Siem Reap.
At first, she tried giving me directions, but when I failed to comprehend, mostly because I’m not good with maps, Sam offered to walk me back to where I was staying during my week-long visit.

When we arrived, I asked Sam to have dinner with me, but she declined, saying she had to work.
When I asked what she worked as, she explained in halting English that she was a sex worker.
I tried to sound casual, telling her why I was in Cambodia and that I was looking for someone who could show me around.
I asked if she would be interested.

And so, two days later, on a gorgeous day in Siem Rep, Sam takes me on a journey very different from the one I had in mind.

As we walk down Sivatha Road, we talk about our lives and I ask her if she would tell her story for me to share with others.
She agrees but asks that no photographs be taken.
We find a restaurant and seat ourselves for a meal.
Spicy chicken rice at 8.30am is indeed the breakfast of champions. 

The Journey Begins

Sam’s life began as a rather happy one, but it quickly turned into a horrific series of events.
Born in Vietnam, she went to Thailand when she was 17 in search of a better life.
She found a job as a waitress.
One day, she met a foreigner named Gerard who was very pleased to learn that she was a Vietnam native.
He was a businessman who was enthusiastic about importing cheap scooters into Vietnam.

After several lunches and dinners, Sam agreed to take Gerard to Vietnam to help him start his business.
Felicitations of love followed soon after, and a promise of marriage was extended.
One thing led to another and Sam found herself pregnant two months into the relationship.
The business was also warming up.
But Gerard’s ardour toward her cooled drastically.

“He began ignoring me and wasn’t shy about doing it openly,” she shares.
Gerard also turned out to be a paedophile, having his way with many underage girls.
“In Vietnam, if you have money, you can get away with anything; you just pay the police to keep them quiet,” Sam says, frowning.
I tell her that this happens around the world.

Gerard left Sam in her third month of pregnancy.
“I tried asking him to help me and the baby with some money, but he said it’s not his problem anymore,” she says, her voice thick with emotion.
“He told me that I should get an abortion, which he was willing to pay for. I didn’t want to do this and I had nowhere to go. One day, while I was looking for odd jobs, I met an old friend who was working as a seamstress. She took me in without question.” 

On the Run

Months later, Sam gave birth to a beautiful girl and named her Maelea, which means Flower Garland.
Soon after this, she found a job as a cleaner and life seemed better for a while.

About a year later, while she was out with her baby, Sam bumped into Gerard at the local market.
The man who initially wanted to get rid of the baby now wanted her for himself when he saw how cute she was.
“I refused of course,” Sam says.
“I knew what he did with the other young girls. I didn’t trust him anymore and I was afraid that he would hurt my baby.”

But Gerard got his way through his connections and by using corrupt officials.
But after a month, Sam got Maelea back with the help of a visiting social worker from the United States.

“I cried for days after I saw what he had done to my baby. Her private parts were swollen and discoloured. She was only one year old.”
Sam’s petite body shook with heavy sobs from this terrible memory.

When confronted, Gerard rejected the accusations and threatened to hurt Sam and the baby if she continued to pester him.
But he still wanted Maelea.
“He would come to the house that I shared with my friend and send thugs over to threaten us. I was afraid for our safety and decided that I would leave and hide out in Cambodia.” 

Starting Anew

After a difficult journey, Sam found herself in a foreign country.
She couldn’t speak the language, and had a little child to feed.

“I tried for three months to find a job. No one would hire me. I had to beg on the streets with my daughter in my arms. We were staying at bus stands and wherever else that we could find shelter. I thought that if feeding my daughter and providing her with a roof over her head meant that I had to sell my body, then it was a small price to pay.”
And so she turned to prostitution.

“I will never forget the first time I did it. I just kept my mind on the food that I will be able to buy for my child and me. That made it easier.

“I have been doing this for four years now and have met many women like me. In the early days, one of them told me that I would get used to it, that it would get easier. This is not true. I have never gotten used to it and I will not be doing this for much longer.”
There was conviction in her voice.

Sam says she will give it another half a year.
“What will my daughter think?” I am stumped for a reply.

“Soon, she will be old enough to start asking me questions,” she adds.
Later, I ask her if she would ever tell Maelea of her past.
Sam takes a long pause and says, “Right now, I don’t know if I will. I want to be honest, but I also think that she doesn’t have to know the ugly side of my life.”

I ask what she would like to do for a living.

“I am saving some money to go back to school and study. I want to become a teacher.”
And then she asks shyly, “Do you think I can?”

I am too overwhelmed to say anything and I nod my answer.

At the time of writing, Sam has already started her classes.
After so much misfortune, it does look like she is going to live up to the meaning of her name after all.

Source: Cambodia Today - June 2011

The Maid - Unholy Acts In The Holiest Place (11)

Daring Escape

A newly arrived Asian housemaid, in her 20s, had a fall three days ago, from the third floor of a residential building in Alkhobar, eastern town of Damman, Saudi Arabia.

She made the run away attempt from the seventh floor apartment through a kitchen window.
She then clung to pipes stuck to the building and started to slide down.
Upon reaching the third floor, the pipes collapsed due to her weight and she hit the ground, where she met the fatal fall.
Arab News reported she was rushed to a hospital with serious injuries but later died at the hospital.

******

Another death fall befell on a housemaid in her 40s, in an attempt to flee her sponsor's house in Makkah.

She was trying to escape through sanitary pipes along with her personal belongings.
Okaz / Saudi Gazzette reported the “homesick” housemaid arrived in the Kingdom two months ago in March, only to find death the next month, in the second week of April.

The housemaid suffered multiple fractures of her arms and legs.
She suffered from brain hemorrhage too, which caused her death.

******

Early this year, January 12, Arabic language daily Almadina reported yet another Indonesian housemaid's death.

The female migrant worker sneaked through the bathroom’s window in an attempt to flee her employer.
She went up to the roof of the the fourth floor building in the central town of Makkah.
Once there, she found a rope, dangled it down to reach the ground.
She then tried to climb down using the rope, but lost her balance and plunged down.

The maid laid on the ground for nearly 15 minutes before she died.

She was found by residents who were leaving a mosque after prayers.

****** 

Photo: ist

PT Aji Ayahbunda Sejati (AAS), flew then 19-year old Armayeh binti Sanuri, from Teluk Lerang, Kuala Mandor, in the district of Kuala Mandor, Pontianak, West Kalimantan, to Saudi Arabia.

She started working for the family of Hasim Ahmad Ali Bader Saeni and Madam Hanan Hasim in Madinah on March 24, 2009.

Armayeh admitted of receiving almost daily abuse and mistreatment from her female employer since the third month into her job.

Wounds and pus on her head.

Her head was often stepped on.

She suffered infectious ears, and were almost torn-like.

She was poured hot water too.

She could bear no longer. 

She seized the opportunity to flee from her working place when the door was not locked.

With wounds all over, she fled on January 26 at 3.30pm.

A neighbour, another Saudi citizen, who happened to spot her critical plight, helped to rush her to Al Ansar Hospital in Madinah at 10pm.

The medical staff immediately called the Indonesian Consulate General.
The Indonesian Consulate has agreements with some Saudi hospitals to notify the embassy or consulate, should an Indonesian national be admitted.

Armayeh's serious condition led her hospital stay transferred to King Fahad Hospital in Jeddah.
She underwent plastic surgery performed by team from King Abdullah Hospital at 1am.
She is currently, still receiving treatment.

Her female employer, Madam Hanan Hasin had been arrested.
Before the arrest was made, her employer visited Armayeh at the hospital.
The girl was offered SR18,000 (Rp 52.9 million) for her change of statement.
The offer was flatly turned down.

Although her salary is SR800 per month, she had just sent home SR6.000 Riyal (Rp 14,3 million) to her parents, during her 23 months stint in the Kingdom.

PT Aji Ayahbunda Sejati (AAS), who made Armayeh's presence possible in Saudi Arabia, bear full responsibility of the girl's welfare.

Her family was provided initial financial assistance of Rp 25 million (SR10,500), with insurance of Rp 100 million yet to receive.

PT Aji Ayah Bunda Sejati brought the parents of now 20-year old Armayeh binti Sanuri, to Saudi Arabia to see first hand of their daughter's condition.
The company provides their needs while in Saudi.

****** 

From Frying Pan To Fire Runaway Maids End Up In Harsher Conditions

JEDDAH: Housemaids who flee their sponsors due to bad working conditions to seek work in the black labor market often end up in a situation of jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.

In many cases they find themselves at the mercy of sleazy labor brokers who send them to work illegally in conditions that are little different from the legal situations, and often much worse. 
“They seize our IDs, lock us up in secluded rooms and make us live in very difficult conditions, which is no less than indentured servitude,” a maid told Arab News on condition she not be named.
Nuriyyah, an Indonesian maid who has been working for two years in Saudi Arabia, describes the situation she found herself in as “slavery” after being legally recruited and brought to the Kingdom. The wage she ended up receiving was not enough to feed her family back home.
“My sponsor often delayed my payment under the pretext that he had other pressing commitments,” she said. “I had no other choice but to flee.”
Nuriyyah said she lived in a small apartment after her escape with a large number of illegal housemaids who came for Haj or Umrah and overstayed their pilgrimage visas.  She said the man who ran the house essentially acted as an illegal-labor broker.
But what Nuriyyah discovered is that people who hire maids illegally often end up being worse than employers who seek workers through legal channels and at greater expense.  “The new employer and his wife used to beat and humiliate me all the time,” she said. “They also took my iqama. I served them for my food only.”
The maid says she has never been paid for her work. Eventually she fled her illegal employers. She ended up under the Sitteen Bridge, a congregation point for foreign laborers who have fled their sponsors in the hope they will be picked up by the police and deported.
Another Indonesian maid, who did not want to be named, said though she had been an adventurer all her life and would work hard to earn money, she had fears that she might fall victim to inhuman practices on the hands of her new employers.
“I now live in a small house with a large number of illegal African and Asian housemaids,” she said. “The brokers who distribute us among their customers do not care much for what will happen to us. They are only after money.”
She added that she was living in very difficult conditions in this house but her need for money would force her to continue.
The unidentified Indonesian housemaid said she witnessed her co-workers being beaten by merciless employers who know that illegal domestic servants are essentially hostages with few choices.
“Many housemaids had similar experiences but were finally able to make some money and go back home. In order to succeed, you have to take chances,” she said.
Commenting on the issue, spokesman for Jeddah police Col. Misfer Al-Juaid said many of the houses that accommodate runaway maids are found in the districts of Al-Bawadi, Ghulail and Kandara.
“We carry out weekly raids on such houses after identifying them,” he said. “We arrest the illegal residents, take their fingerprints before handing them over to the Passport Department for deportation.”
After these workers end up in the custody of Saudi immigration authorities, a long process for exit clearance takes place. Often these workers have no ID because their passports are with the employers from whom they fled. Saudi authorities must work with foreign missions to establish identities and check for criminal backgrounds before they can be sent home. 
Al-Juaid pointed out that an illegal worker can be exposed to more abuse than legal workers, because sponsors are aware that there is little recourse for reporting or challenging abusive situations. “The illegal housemaids bear all these inhuman treatment in order not to be caught by the passport police and sent back home,” he added.
The most common form of maid abuse is not paying salaries, followed by physical and sexual abuse. The Saudi authorities do not offer statistics of the number of abuse cases reported to them, but the problem is acute enough that labor rights activists and foreign missions – especially of Indonesia and the Philippines – maintain shelters for fleeing maids, especially women.
Supervisor of the National Society for Human Rights in Makkah province Hussain Al-Sharif described violence against housemaids as inhuman and un-Islamic.
“Just because they are paying them money, some employers will come to believe that they literally own their housemaids and they have the right to ask them to do anything,” he said.
Al-Sharif agreed with Al-Juaid, saying that illegal workers face a greater chance of being abused with impunity.
“Violence against housemaids, whether they are legal or illegal stayers, is inhuman and totally against Islam,” he added. “We completely reject such practices and deplore exploitation of any human being.”
Al-Sharif asked all employers to consider the pressing conditions that drove the housemaids to come all they way from their countries in the first place. The main reason is remittances, the money they can save up to send home to feed their children or other family members. Not paying a maid could mean a child back home goes without food, clothing or medicines.

Source: A1 Saudi Arabia - January 12, 2011

to be continued...

The Maid - Those Who Refuse To Go Home And The Losing Employer

The idea of having someone to be with My Mother had been forwarded to Her many years ago.
But it was only around a month ago that She agreed.

Once My Mother agreed, Suri* and I, as I had blogged here, immediately searched one for her.
We could not afford to delay further, as generally it will take two weeks to familiarise new maids with their duties.
Possibly My Mother's minder is already around two weeks before the March school holiday, as Suri is to follow My Youngest Sister to China.

****** 

Last Saturday, at My Elder Sister's place, She holding a 'kenduri' and feast, was the first time that I saw My Mother's maid.
She is from Surabaya, but not the one Suri and I had previously chosen.

My Brother (the employer) was tied up with His schedule those few days, although things can be done online these days.
When things was finalised, the maid that had been chosen, was taken by an employer who lives opposite the maid agency shop-house.
For the past weeks, I had been commuting between Kelana Jaya in Selangor and JB.
So Suri did the choosing with My Elder Sister.
The maid, Nora*, looked confused and sad, the first time My Elder Sister and Suri saw her.

Suri was concerned with Nora's facial expression.

Suri, before she attends her business study class in the morning and higher secondary school class in the afternoon every Sunday, she had been an active volunteer at Indonesia School in Siglap for problem maids.

As she related to me on few occasions, maids who travel abroad to work, bringing along their unsettled problems back home, are likely to be problematic while at work.
It surprised me, as she sometimes was asked to give a talk, to give advice to these problematic maids.

I quote her familiar statement here,
"Not only we housemaids who have problems. 
Even governors, our employers and students too, have their fair share of problems..."

"Luahkan," she told Nora, as was told to Me by My Elder Sister.
Suri wanted Nora to free her problem.

Nora was four-months into her job, working for her employer in Jurong, when the employer's ex-maid decided to return to Singapore to continue working.
Nora was then returned to the agency, and had been without an employer for two days

A divorced mother in her early 30s, with three school going children in Indonesia, Nora is the sole breadwinner of her family.
Her father is bedridden, suffering from stroke.
She feels terribly sad and loss, with no employer in sight...

******

Why some maids prefer to return to their ex-employers after retuning home?
A lady I know in Singapore had said, she no longer need a maid when the maid's term expired, as her children are all grown up.

But barely few weeks after she was maidless, she (the maid) called the ex-employer.
She badly wanted to return to her old job.
The money she remitted home, for rebuilding the house in Wonosobo, Central Java, was used by the husband to marry a new wife.

The employer lady had advised her maid to delay the sending of money upon her return.
But the maid had not the slightest idea of her husband's infidelity.

The lady did contribute some money too, for the maid's dilapidated house.
She had been there, bringing along her children to see first hand, their minder's living condition.
The maid pleaded the lady to accept her again, and she relented.
The maid needed a roof above her head.
Since she has one in Singapore, she said, she has not the slightest idea to return home.

******      ******      ******

I was invited to a lunch by a good friend, at her mother's house in Woodlands.
The elderly lady's maid had been with her for ages, as I remember.
The maid's service is actually not needed.

The elderly lady stays with her flight attendant son.
My friend, with an only son in the army, had moved a floor above her mother, just a flight of staircase away.
But the maid gave 1001 excuses of not wanting to go home.
She even forgo her flight ticket, insisting to stay with the peaceful family, getting paid in a work-free environment.

******

Some maids I know, can go down on their knees, to beg to be allowed in Singapore.
Once they stepped into households that meet their needs, topped with compassionate employers, they hold tight to the God sent gift.   

Many maids are only too happy to leave their own family behind, choosing to live in a comfortable, cleaner and safe environment abroad, all expenses paid.  

Many domestic workers choose to work here for a free and easy, all paid for holiday, and with salary too!  
If they stay home, they choose to live a life of poverty and misery, not able to see a doctor during their sick days. 
By being a maid, a checkup for every six month is needed.  

Working in a factory back home, and staying in hostel, not much is left, after deducting food and lodging.  Thus many females aimed to work as maids overseas. 
With medical fees, food and lodging paid for by employers, loads off the shoulders for these domestic workers. 

University degree holders, do not mind to lower themselves, to earn a living.
Jobs are scarce back home, with even very much lower pay. 
Being a maid here, they have the freedom to choose their employer.
The focus of some of these women, their ultimate goal, is financial gain, and not on what is right.
Even if she becomes the victim of severe abuse, their financial gain goal is not risked, but likely to multiply. 

******

Laws in Singapore, despite all the brouhaha, surprisingly, are pro-maids. 
Read here:  

Maid Admits To Pinching Mentally-Disabled Girl  

By Gan Ling Kai 

SHE is a working mum who is away 10 hours a day.

So her three children, including her 17-year-old intellectually-disabled daughter, were left in the care of her Indonesian maid.

On Sept 25, the 52-year-old finance executive, who wanted to be known only as Mrs Ng, was about to take her daughter to the dentist when she noticed bruises on the girl's cheeks and the left side of her chest.

Her daughter, who has an IQ of 65, attends Minds Towner Gardens School, a special school.

Suspecting her maid was responsible for the injuries, Mrs Ng immediately called the police to her home and later took her daughter to Changi General Hospital.

The maid, Miss Fitriyani, 23, is now under investigation for the non-seizable offence of voluntarily causing hurt.

The maid was taken to the police station on Sept 25 for questioning.

She has since been released and is now under the supervision of the maid agency.

When The New Paper met Miss Fitriyani, 23, on Monday, she admitted she had hurt the girl.

Touching her own cheeks, she said in English: "Yes, I pinched both sides."

Miss Fitriyani also apologised to Mrs Ng and explained that she was frustrated because the girl refused to go home after alighting from the school bus.

She said the girl had also soiled herself.

As for the bruise on the girl's chest, Miss Fitriyani claimed she had wanted to help her bathe, but the girl refused to take off her clothes.

"I only tried to move her arms away so that I can (remove her clothes)," gestured Miss Fitriyani.

She claimed she had only brushed her hand lightly against the girl's body.

Mrs Ng said the doctor gave her daughter painkillers and the swelling and bruises diminished a few days later.

She said: "I know it may be a little challenging to take care of my daughter, but how could the maid vent her frustration on (the girl)?

"Right from the beginning, I had indicated to the maid agency and the maid that my daughter is a special child. But instead of getting extra care, she was abused."

Miss Fitriyani had been working with the Ngs since August.

The Ngs have employed more than 10 maids over the past 11 years. Mrs Ng claimed her previous maids had no major problems caring for her daughter.Her other two children are aged 11 and 21.

When asked whether the bruises hurt, Mrs Ng's daughter only smiled sheepishly.

Mrs Ng said she cried in frustration when she first noticed the injuries.

She added: "The worst part is that she is defenceless. She couldn't even communicate properly to me that she was hurt."

She Still Has To Pay The Maid's Upkeep

SO WHO is responsible for the maid in a situation such as Mrs Ng's?

Since Sept 26, Miss Fitriyani has been under the supervision of the maid agency.

Yet, Mrs Ng is still paying for her daily expenses - $10 a day.

As of Oct 11, she paid the agency $160 for the 16 days that the maid was there. And Mrs Ng faces maintenance bills because Miss Fitriyani is still in Singapore.

In addition, if the maid runs away, the employer may forfeit the $5,000 security bond, depending on how much effort has been put in to locate the maid.

If the employer has an insurance policy to cover the bond, which Mrs Ng does, the amount the employer forfeits would be less. In Mrs Ng's case, she will lose only $250 if Miss Fitriyani runs away.

Frustrated

Mrs Ng said she is frustrated that the maid is still her responsibility even though she does not work for her any more.

Technically, the maid remains under Mrs Ng's employment during her stay here, said the maid's agent, Mr Ricki Kang Kok Hwa.

Mr Kang, 49, who runs Amorie Employment Services, is arranging for a maid to replace Miss Fitriyani.

Mrs Ng doesn't want to send Miss Fitriyani back to Indonesia.

She said on Monday: "Police investigations are ongoing, and I want to see justice done."

Responding to queries from The New Paper, the police would only confirm that a report had been lodged against Miss Fitriyani and investigations are ongoing.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said Miss Fitriyani's work permit was cancelled and a Special Pass was issued on Wednesday.

The MOM spokesman added that in general, foreign workers who are required to assist with investigations into offences are issued with a Special Pass for as long as their presence is required.

But even after cancellation of the work permit, an employer is still responsible for and has to bear the cost of the worker's upkeep and maintenance until she is repatriated.

For cases such as Mrs Ng's, if the worker goes missing during investigation, MOM will decide, on a case-by-case basis, the appropriate amount of security bond to be forfeited.

Victims

Such an arrangement doesn't pacify Mrs Ng, who feels that it does not protect the employer's welfare.

"My family and I are the victims. Why do I need to pay for the food of the (alleged) offender?" said Mrs Ng.

Is there a better way to manage cases like this?

Unfortunately, no, said Mr Edmund Pooh, in his 20s, the manager of Universal Employment Agency.

He said he understood Mrs Ng's rationale for keeping the maid here. But she will have to continue supporting

the maid because she is still the employer's responsibility.

After all, he added, "the maid is innocent until proven guilty in the eyes of the law". 

This article was first published in The New Paper - Monday, October 18, 2010.

******      ******      ******

Maids can come and go as they please.
Employers are required by Ministry Of Manpower to pay for the air ticket, even if the maid has only worked for only one day, if they choose not to work in Singapore any more.
Maids do not have to pay anything.

To the employers' eyes, these maids, even with bad attitudes, they have nothing to lose.
Hence, they are not motivated to be sincere, fully committed to their job.
If employers are unlucky, engage domestic helpers with poor performance, they suffer not only in term of monetary loss, but mentally stress, too.

Maids are capable of making their employers' lives miserable. 

There are already many faulty maids, that squeeze dry their employers' finance and de-stabilise the family institution, even when employers are not at fault. 

If the maid run away, worst suffering looms around.
At stake are the non refundable high premium insurance (around S$250), the S$5000 bond and the maid's upfront loan, paid for, by the employer.

Despite some domestic helpers mess up many families with their irresponsible behavior, MOM protects them.

MOM sees the locals as criminals based on some traitors and false allegations of foreign maids.

The Maid - Unholy Acts In The Holiest Place (7)

No Evidence Against Saudi Employer: Lawyer
Indonesian Maid Abuse Sentence Appealed

RIYADH (Khaled al-Shaei) The Appeals Court in Mecca issued on Monday a ruling to revoke the jail sentence imposed on a Saudi woman charged with torturing her Indonesian maid and to review the case on the grounds that evidence condemning the defendant was not strong enough.

The judge that passed the three-year jail sentence on a Saudi woman for the physical assault of her 23-year-old Indonesian maid, Sumiati Mustapa, had committed several mistakes that were enough to revoke the ruling, said the defendant’s lawyer Ahmed al-Rashed.

“We objected to the sentence at the Court of Appeals because several of its legal procedures were missing,” Rashed told AlArabiya.net. “And we demanded that my client be released on bail until the case is reviewed.”

Judge’s mistakes

Rashed explained that the verdict gave priority to public right over private right. When charging the defendant with human trafficking, the judge made the plaintiff and not the defendant give her testimony under oath while it should have been the other way round, and the verdict was handed down quickly.

“For these three reasons, the case will be re-opened, but in case the judge insists on the previous verdict, the case will be assigned to another judge.”

The judge, Rashed added, may have been affected by the media hype that accompanied the case along with the point of view of the Indonesian embassy in Riyadh.

“This is how he handled the case and I do not blame him, yet he based his verdict on civil and not religious laws and that is why we have the right to object to it.”

Rashed denied that his client had admitted to abusing and assaulting the maid and expressed his concerns over the imprisonment of the defendant, who is in her 60s, for almost two months without proof despite her health condition and the fact that she is on a wheel chair.

“My client denied committing the crime and the media reports that her son made on her are not true and not documented in the case files.”

According to Rashed, the defendant told the court that the maid has a psychological disorder and that she is the one who inflicted injuries upon herself, yet when the maid was referred to a psychiatrist and his report proved that she was sane, the judge considered this a proof that the defendant is guilty.

“The judge assumed that if the maid is sane, then it is her employer who did that to her because the maid works for her. He also passed the verdict in accordance with the human trafficking law and this does not apply to my client.”

Indonesian public opinion

Rashed accused the Indonesian government of trying to take advantage of the maid’s case in order to make financial gains.

“The Indonesian public opinion made Saudis seem like monsters in order to raise the fees for hiring Indonesian maids and this is what happened.”

On the other hand, spokesman of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Michael Tene objected to the initial sentence, which he considered very lenient when compared to the damages inflicted upon the maid.

Tene said that maid’s lawyers will appeal the verdict and explained that the torture to which Mustapa was subjected requires at least 15 years in jail.

Indonesian President Susilo Mambang Yudhoyono also issued a statement slamming the violence against Mustapa and dispatched Indonesian Minister of Women’s Affairs Linda Gumelar to follow up on the case.

Sumiati Mustapa’s case

The case of Indonesian maid Sumiati Binti Salan Mustapa made headlines last year in both Saudi Arabia and Indonesia after the 23-year-old maid accused her employer, a widow in her 60s, of abusing her by beating and burning different parts of her body, especially her neck, left hand and upper lip, where she sustained severe injuries.

The employer denied the maid’s accusations and said Mustapa’s injuries were the result of a suicide attempt as she tried to jump from the balcony.

After standing trial, the employer was handed down three years in jail on charges of human trafficking.

After Rashed and the defendant’s other lawyer, Abdul Rahman Hajjar, filed an appeal, the Court of Appeals in Mecca ordered the General Court in Medina, which passed the initial jail verdict, to review the case.
(Translated from the Arabic by Sonia Farid).

Source: Al-Arabiya - Tuesday, March 15, 2011

More about Sumiati Mustapa can be read here.

******

Shortly after Sumiati’s case came to light, another Indonesian maid,

36-year old Kikim Komalasari, from Mekarwangi village, in Haurwangi, Cianjur, was found tortured to death.

Her husband, a workshop officer in Sukabumi, was only home on weekends due to working outstation. 46-year old Maman Ali Nurjaman had, before her departure, forbid her from going to Saudi Arabia.

She was adamant of going.
She left home in June 2009, reaching Madinah on July 7, leaving behind not only the husband, but three children, 18-year old Yosi Nurmalasari, 10-year old Galih Permadi, and Fikri Agustian, 5, who has lung infection.
Since Kikim had already left, all Maman and his three children could do then, was to pray for her safety in the foreign land and be home again in Cianjur.

Nobody in the family then believed the youngest of fourteen siblings, was killed by her employer.

About a month after she worked in Madinah, Saudi Arabia, she called home, happy with her workload, although looking after five kids at a go.
She was happy to be able to travel, along with the employer's family during sightseeing.

In November 2009, she called again, enquiring about her children, husband and her mother, whose house is next to hers.
She assured her sister, Siti, who had twice received her call, that she was with a good employer.

Six months before Kikim was found dead, again, she mentioned of being with a good employer, when she called for the last time, enquiring about her children and husband's welfare.

****** 

Two days before the news of his wife's death reached him,

Maman felt the urge to clean the pictures of their wedding, which he had never done before.

Their eldest child, Yossi, dream of the mother returned home with a very big smile.
The dream was related to the father.
In November 19, 2010, the mother was found in a dump in the southern city of Abha.

Kikim’s neck was reportedly slashed and she sustained cuts to the rest of her body.
Signs of severe physical abuse in different parts of her dead body showed that she had been tortured to death.
Following Kikim’s death, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa summoned Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Indonesia Abdurrahman Mohammad Amen Al-Khayyat for the third time in a week.
As there are many Indonesian maids in the Kingdom, it stirred particular anger in Indonesia.

The two cases of the physical abuse suffered by the Indonesian maids, Kikim dead and Sumiati in a critical condition within one week triggered riots in Indonesia, and condemnation by the government in Jakarta.
The two tragedies had also promoted calls by Saudi activists to pressure their government to impose strict rules to thwart any future maltreatment to foreign workers in their country.
It further led to demands that Indonesian women no longer be allowed to work as maids in Saudi Arabia.

******

Kikim's sponsor is said to be Ali Said Al Gahtani from Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Her employer was held over her death, five days before the recent Eidul Adha, in the second week of November.

She angered him by her maltreatment of his ageing mother and hitting his handicapped children.
He used an aluminum bar to beat her for four consecutive days, and inflicted grievous harm on her, hoping she would provide better treatment for his mother.
She then fled his house to a nearby building under construction.

She sustained injuries from a fall onto building materials.
He found her at the site and wanted to take her to hospital, but she refused.
He then took her back to his house, locked her in a room hoping she will recover from her wounds but she did not.

After giving up hope that she would get better, he killed her with an iron tool and put her body in a garbage dumpster on a street.
She died from injuries, then thrown out of the house.
She was dumped in a waste bin, where police found the body in the southwestern province of Abha on Thursday, 5 Dzulhijjah 1431, November 11, 2010.
The body was taken to King Khaled Hospital for forensic examination, and the employer was arrested.

His wife was taken into custody for two weeks, pending investigations, and she was released after admitting that she knew what her husband was doing to the maid
She would stand trial for hiding information on her husband’s torture of the maid.
The Shariah Court is scheduled to look into her cover up of her husband’s actions, authorities added.

******

Insurance of 55 million rupiah had been surrendered to Kikim's husband and his brother, Atang Jaelani on November 20.

Her body, meanwhile, is still in the mortuary of Saudi Arabia.
The family is waiting anxiously to accord her proper burial in Indonesia. 

The Maid - Unholy Acts In The Holiest Place (2)

Two female migrant workers in Saudi Arabia who are suffering permanent injuries are currently being treated in their hometowns in West Nusa Tenggara.

60 more housemaids from Dompu in West Nusa Tenggara are awaiting to be sent home.

25-year old Yanti Yusepa from West Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara went to Saudi Arabia on August 29 and returned to Indonesia on October 6, paralysed from the waist down after jumping from a second-story window to get away from what she called chronically abusive employers.
She is waiting for her insurance payout: If there is.
Within the short period, she worked for three different families in Saudi Arabia, fleeing from the first two after they starved and physically abused her.
The third family was most cruel - the daughters would burn her with a hot iron while their mother would beat her.
The abuse on her drove her to jump from second floor window.
“Not a single person was willing to help me when they saw me fall.”

According to her, at least 26 more have also been abused by their employers, in some cases sexually.

27-year-old Selvia from Sumbawa, a district of West Nusa Tenggara, returned home in July 2010.
She worked for her employer as a domestic worker in Nabuk.
But the employer made her doing a back-breaking work.
She did just that: Lifting heavy gas canisters.
It broke her back.
It takes her a great effort to bend, or to walk.
And, Selvia is unable to walk properly.
She is partially paralysed since 2007.

Warni Binti Mahrip, a domestic helper, died after she fell from the upper floor of her employer’s home, also in Tabuk, on June 4.

And Nurul Binti Muhtar Lano, died four months later in October, due to illness.

The bodies wil be sent back to Lombok, in West Nusa Tenggara.

******

Such stories are common, but only receive sporadic attention.
The recently discovered horrific abuse of Sumiati, from West Nusa Tenggara too, let others knew that now, more than 350 domestic workers from West Nusa Tenggara are currently stationed overseas and may be facing abuse or inhumane working conditions.

About 52 workers from the province were living under a Saudi bridge, awaiting repatriation.
Sumiati, an 18-year old girl led an unusual protest.
It even made Saudi Arabia's labour ministry bowed to say a very rare sorry.

West Nusa Tenggara, is the second biggest district to send workers abroad after West Java.
But in terms of percentage, it is the biggest.

Many women in West Nusa Tenggara, especially in remote areas, are still unaware of their rights as housewives, and the condition is concerning, a local family welfare activist said.
They are in a weak position in the family and had no choice but accept their husbands' ill treatment.
Many had been used as 'capital' by their husbands who send them to work abroad as migrant workers as house maids in Saudi Arabia and use their wives` monthly income even to get married to another woman.

Some, after all the money sent home, they were divorced by their husbands.
They are often defenseless.
They are unaware of their rights as housewives, or not courageous enough to take actions.


Now, West Nusa Tenggara, one of the 33 Indonesian provinces, had banned recruitment of its residents for work in Saudi Arabia following Sumiati's high-profile abuse case.
Meanwhile, it is in the process of providing halfway house to shelter abused maids hailed from West Nusa Tenggara.
The house will also serve as a pre-departure centre for future domestic maids.

The Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration is likely to ban parents with children under the age of 5 from working abroad, unless they can show proof that their children’s nutritional needs would be taken care of.
It was noted that children suffering from malnutrition tended to come from the families of migrant workers.

These migrant workers mothers left their children in the care of elderly relatives who often failed to provide adequate nutrition for the children.
The kids were more likely to be fed the same food that the elders were eating themselves, which is lacking in the nutrients required for growing children.

Last year, data collected from 10 districts in West Nusa Tenggara recorded 756 cases of children suffering from malnutrition, including severe forms of protein-energy malnutrition.
25 have since died.
There were 926 cases recorded during 2009 and 1,207 in 2008.

United Nations Children’s Fund report in January 2010, found that at least 7.6 million Indonesian children suffered from stunted growth, a primary manifestation of malnutrition.
Worldwide, Indonesia ranked the fifth largest number of children under the age of 5 suffering from stunted growth.

******

On November 26, An Indonesian maid of two weeks had suffered broken bones after jumping three floors down from her employer's house in Al-Salam, Northern Jeddah.
Then she hid herself under a parked car.
In a police report, her employer had, two days earlier, intended to return her to the agency for her unsatisfactory work performance.

A 29-year-old Indonesian maid is currently in intensive care after jumping from the third floor of a building while trying to run away from her sponsor of three months in the Al-Kakiya district of Mecca.
She is thought to have fractured some bones and suffered internal bleeding.

On December 3, a maid, said to be Indonesian, fell to her death from the window of a third-floor apartment in Jeddah.
She had attempted to escape using a rope of knotted clothes.
The maid's body is currently at the Forensic Medicine Administration for further forensic examination.

******

Maid Abuse Rampant In Region, Says Magazine

JEDDAH: A Saudi women’s magazine has published an article highlighting the abuse of maids and the need to find solutions to the problem, not just in the Kingdom but across the region.

According to the article in Sayidaty magazine (a sister publication of Arab News), many housemaids across the region are abused in a variety of ways from physical abuse to not being provided with food. It also adds that such maids have no rights and that they hardly see justice except when a major development occurs.
“Local newspapers have recently been publishing a lot about maid abuse in the Kingdom and this is where we decided to not just write about the horror stories but also find solutions to the problem,” said Mona Siraj, managing editor of Sayidaty magazine in Jeddah.
“Our responsibility as a magazine that cares for social issues is to give our readers the perfect and real picture … in addition to allowing the authorities and human rights’ bodies to respond,” she added.
According to the article, there are some 2 million housemaids in the Kingdom, 660,000 in Kuwait and 79,000 in Bahrain. In the United Arab Emirates, housemaids outnumber families. It said in Egypt there are 177 recruitment offices, of which only three are legal.
“Until now, there aren’t any regulation that protects both the maid and the employer and we are demanding this to assure security for both sides,” said Siraj. “I believe that these problems should be out in the public to spread awareness in society. We are giving the opportunity through the magazine to both sides to know their rights.”
In Saudi Arabia, a maid had her lips cut out and abused in other ways for misbehaving. Maids are beaten with electric cables for breaking cups in Egypt, thrown out in the streets in Bahrain and locked indoors in the Emirates, reports Sayidaty.

Source: Arab News - January 19, 2011

 

The Children Story - Taping Is Not A Funny Game

The 22- month-old toddler and his 18-year-old teen mom who duct-taped him to a wall for laughs have been reunited.

The teen mom was sentenced to at least 10 days in jail, to be served over five weekends, and two years of probation. Hamm will finish her sentence in three weeks.

The boy is now living with his mother and that state health officials would continue to monitor the boy's home, while prosecutors investigate a separate case to see if Hamm should continue to have custody of the child.

The boy was placed in state custody after shocking photos showing him duct-taped to a wall by his mother and her boyfriend surfaced earlier this year.

The two were sentenced last month after photos surfaced showing they duct-taped the toddler to the wall.

Gage County District Court Judge Paul Korslund was shocked, "it's a matter of common sense that a parent would protect her child from humiliation and abuse," Korslund said. "And why that occurred is something we're all asking ourselves."

 

Duct tape has a lot of uses, but this one is just horrific.

Jayla Hamm, 18, from Beatrice, Nebraska, about 40 miles south of Lincoln, held her son against a wall while her boyfriend, Corde Honea, 19, taped his wrists and legs with neon green duct tape in January. 

Police said the Beatrice, Neb.'s couple showed off the photos of the boy, dressed in a red onesie and white socks, to their friends as a joke.

The affadavit says photos taken on Hamm's digital camera showed the boy crying while he was taped.

Handout/MySpace:
Corde Honea and Jayla Hamm (r), mother of toddler With News Wire  Services.
                                                                                                                                                                  
Hamm was sentenced to at least 10 days in jail and two years of probation. 

Honea was sentenced to 36 to 60 months behind bars for intentional child abuse.

Police said the couple was "high after a night of partying" and taped him to the wall for entertainment.

As part of the plea deal, the teen mom agreed to seek drug counselling and to become a cooperating witness against her boyfriend in an upcoming weapons trial.

In one photo, the small child's arms are placed behind his back.

In another, the boy is seen trying to reach for his sippy cup that had been taped to the wall — just out of his reach.  
All photos: New York Daily News

Hamm's neighbors were horrified when they saw the photos.
The couple was kicked out of their rented home after the incident.

The Maid Story - Babies At Stake

Maids In Malaysia (2) And Singapore (5)

SERDANG: An Indonesian maid allegedly stomped a 15 month-old-infant to death in Puchong and then disappeared. It is learnt the incident occurred at 4pm last Friday when the only child was found unconscious at his home by a relative.
It is learnt the 25-year-old Indonesian maid from Majalingka, West Jawa had called the victim’s father to inform his son had fallen ill and was unconscious.
The victim’s father, Tang Meng Kiang, 40, a businessman asked his relative who lived nearby to rush his son to a nearby private hospital.
However, the infant, Tan Jin Yang was pronounced dead on arrival.
Serdang OCPD Supt Abdul Razak Elias said that, initially, the case was classified as sudden death.
However, the post mortem from the Serdang Hospital revealed numerous elements of fould.
It is learnt the child had strangulation marks on his neck, internal brain haemorrhage, bruises believed to be from being stepped on and lung infection.
“In light of the post mortem results, we re-classified the case as murder and have been on the lookout for who could help shed light on the child’s death,” he said.
Further investigations revealed that the maid had been working with the businessman’s family for nearly two years.
“At one point, the parents suspected their son was abused when one of his legs was fractured, but they did not follow through their suspicions”, he said. - The Star

****** ****** ******

After almost 2 weeks of absence, Fahmi was sent straight to the classroom by his mother.

He entered the room wailing aloud,
"Teacher, police catch Bibik." 

The mother signaled that she'll be outside the room waiting for Me.

"Why?" I asked him.
"Baby sick so police want her to sleep with baby at hospital."

After having adjusted himself with friends, I met his mother who was patiently waiting.

"You remember when I told you that my baby girl was still sick?
She was warded for observation.
Then the very night, the police wanted us to be at the station because x-ray showed  fracture on the skull.

We were kept overnight at the station suspected of abuse.
You think we want to do that to the 3-months old?
After going hell, we were released.

Then I asked the maid what she had done to the sinless being.
You know what she said?
She purposely dropped her BUT on the bed with thick mattress on!!!

I could not believe her admission that I called the police straight away!
She said the same thing to the police!

When I asked her why she vent her frustration on the poor soul, she said there's just too many things to handle.
Too many things to learn all at once and too many electrical things to operate."

******

I used to have a brief chat with the maid, in her 30s, when she passed Fahmi to me while carrying the baby girl.
The maid was a typical Javanese lady from remote village with heavy accent, whom I saw as slow in picking up new things and adapting oneself to new environment.
She was always with a tired face most of the time.

The 3 children were left in the maid's care for most of the time as the parents had to be at their 'Yong Tau Fu'  stall 12 hours daily, ever since the father was being retrenched from work.

I knew the mother as a super insurance agent, forever on her feet.
She was a warm, friendly woman whom others would want to go to for advice.
She would always volunteer to help out the school and would occasionally drop by to update herself with the latest development.

Before this incident, Fahmi used to say,  
"Teacher, baby fall down on the bed again."

I thought he was talking about his 4-year old sister as I did not find anything amiss as he was closed to his Bibik and often expressed his love for her.

******

Six months after the maid was being taken away, the baby was still in hospital.
By then she was already 9-months old, but still unable and will be forever unable, as the doctor said, to turn herself on her belly, to crawl, to walk, to blabber, to talk...
Though it maybe only a hairline crack, the baby has had only 10% survival rate.

Fahmi by then, had became withdrawn as he was too attached with the maid, since his 4-year old sister was born.
Occasionally he would say that the police is bad and naughty to take his Bibik away... 

Crooks In Uniform Too

Sunday August 1, 2010 - Rogue Cop And Accomplices Held

PETALING JAYA: A police constable believed to have been involved in a series of robberies since three years ago has been arrested.

The 27-year-old was arrested along with two of his accomplices at his home in Gombak on Friday, said Selangor police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar.

“All the suspects are in their 20’s and have been involved in at least five gang robbery cases, with the last being two weeks ago somewhere in Gombak,” he said.

It is learnt that the constable, who had been attached to the Petaling Jaya district headquarters since two years ago, also had a disciplinary record, which included poor work attendance.
Sources also revealed that the suspect was armed when arrested.
A urine test result showed the suspect was positive for drugs.

The suspect has been remanded and the case investigated under Section 395 and 397 of the Penal Code.

******

Sunday July 18, 2010 - Feeding On Fear Of Cops

Whenever we encounter the police, we freeze and think that we have done something wrong.

Crooks who impersonate our law enforcers play on this fear.

Paul Jambunathan remembers talking on his mobile phone while crossing the road one day.
He saw a police car passing by and automatically put his phone down.
He was not committing any crime; he just thought he was.

Jambunathan, a clinical psychologist, attributes this reflex action to a case of classical conditioning.

“Most people associate the police with punishing us for doing something wrong (although we haven’t),” he says.

Billy Lim* has a similar story.
He admits to always talking on the phone while driving.

A few times, he has caught sight of someone in a fluorescent jacket similar to those used by the police, and he ended up panicking.

“Very often it turns out to be someone from the local council or even a road construction worker,” he says.

But the sight of the vest is enough to give him the chills.

Unfortunately, criminals who impersonate the police or other enforcement agencies work on this fear, says Jambunathan.

Over the years, there have been cases of people impersonating police officers, which is a crime under the Police Act.

Impostors have used the police uniform to commit robberies, extortion and even rape.

“Even when I see the words POLIS, I become nervous for no reason. It could even be someone wearing a plain T-shirt with the word POLIS on the back,” says Lim.

MCA Public Services and Complaints Department head Datuk Michael Chong agrees that the public may not be able to tell the difference between a genuine police officer and a bogus one.

“If they stop, they might get robbed but if they don’t, they might get shot,” he observes.

He says that it is easy to impersonate an enforcement agency with numerous shops selling uniforms and paraphernalia of all these enforcement agencies, including the police.

“The only thing I can’t buy is a gun. Even then, I can get a toy gun. If I stand by the roadside wearing the uniform, some people would not be able to tell the difference,” says Chong.

He adds that anyone can buy Rela (Volunteers of Malaysian People) outfits complete with their rank.
Rela officers are often called up for crime-prevention duties and they have the power to make a citizen’s arrest and hand the perpetrator over to the authorities.
They can also check identity cards and passports, and nab illegal immigrants.

The easy availability of Rela uniforms in shops and online has made it easy for crooks to impersonate its volunteers to commit crimes.

In 2006, robbers masquerading as Rela members drove off with RM47million worth of microchips from the air cargo complex in Penang.

Major Jen Datuk Abdul Aziz Ibrahim, the assistant chief of staff, Personal Services of the Royal Malaysian Armed Force (RMAF), says there have been many cases of people misusing the army uniform.

One of the main reasons is to get the attention of girls, says Abdul Aziz.

“It is impossible to stop the shops from selling the uniforms as they have valid business licences.”

Mary Chan* recalls a uniform theme party that was organised by her company.

She says that most people were dressed in army fatigues. She herself wore a police uniform she had ordered on the Internet.

“My uniform was quite plain and anyone could tell it was fake. But the army uniform of the others looked real,” she says.

Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) vice-chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye agrees that impersonation of police and other government security personnel is an issue of concern.

The MCPF has received some complaints of impersonations of police personnel, he acknowledges.
He says the Government should take note of the problem and check outlets that sell these uniforms and paraphernalia freely.

“This problem has existed for quite a while. The sale of these items should be tightened to prevent abuse,” he warns.

Lee says the police should educate the public on what to do when confronted by impostors.

The police have always reminded people to ask for authority cards when they are sceptical about the status of the uniformed man.
But not many people do that, unfortunately.

Emily Abdullah says she would not be able to tell the difference between an impersonator and a real police officer.
She has been stopped at police road blocks but has never asked to see their identification.

“Not that it never occurs to me but I just want to get everything over with as quickly as possible,” she says.

Jambunathan says it is the public’s right to ask for identification and they have to let go of the misconception that the police would be antagonistic if they do so.

******

Training is needed for one to become a police officer.
However, for a few hundred ringgit, it is possible for one to look like a cop.

As was reported by The Star July 18, 2010, police accessories are sold openly and police uniforms are available in some stores in and around the city. Discount can be obtained too for a few items purchased at Pertama Complex in Kuala Lumpur.



A pair of police shoulder badges can  be bought for RM37 at a uniforms wholesaler shop

Which one is real?

A police badge purchased at Pertama Complex. The fake badge is at the bottom. It is hard for the layman to tell the difference between the two badges.

 Similar badges: There is little difference between the police shoulder tag purchased at Pertama Complex (bottom) and one found on a policeman’s uniform.

The reporter purchased two police badges and a sticker for RM35 with the word POLIS in bold letters (to be stuck on the back of a jacket or vest).

When asked for a receipt, he was told to write his name and police identification number by the shopkeeper but when told that he was not a policeman, the shopkeeper looked worried and said he was not permitted to sell the items to civilians.
The reporter managed to convince the shopkeeper all the items were for personal use only.

The shop also stocked badges of other enforcement agencies such as the Prisons Department.

Road Transport Department (RTD) emblem, twin army medals and a pair of police shoulder badges can  be bought for RM37 at a uniforms wholesaler shop.

Although the shop assistants were surprised as only one of each item were bought, they did not ask any further questions after explaining the items for personal use only.

People usually bought the badges in bulk.

One can have a police integrity badge for RM11.90, handcuffs for RM28 and RM58 for the more expensive cuffs which were of higher quality and had double locks.

Unlike army and Rela uniforms, police uniforms, however, were more difficult to get compared to which are easily purchased from any uniform shop.

When asked about getting the police uniform at one shop, a letter of authority from Bukit Aman is needed for the purchase.

***All Sources: The Star

The Maid Story - Of Evil And Angel Hearted

Maids In Singapore (4)

The Evil

 

During the 6-day trial that started in April, widow  Madam Mah told the court how for over a year, she would doze off within minutes of having a meal. 

She also found it difficult to wake up at her usual time of 6am.

She lived with her maid in a house in Paya Lebar Crescent.

 

26-year old Windri Hartatik (Photo: Singapore Police Force) was jailed a year on Monday. 

Windri was found guilty by District Judge Lim Wee Ming of administering the stupefying drug to 79 year old Madam Mah Ah Choo, in December 2009. 

She laced a soup with 10 sleeping pills so that her employer would fall asleep and not find fault with her work.

 

While Windri would help herself to the fish and vegetable dishes, she would give the soup a miss on some occasions. 

On Dec 9, Madam Mah had taken a pork rib soup prepared by her maid. 

The retiree did not suspect anything. 

 

However, the next morning, she suffered a bout of giddiness and nearly collapsed at a supermarket. 

She had to be helped by staff and returned home with the maid in a taxi. 

After resting, Madam Mah confronted Windri, who admitted to adding 'medicine' to the soup, to make Madam Mah sleep more and stop her from inspecting and finding fault with the maid's work. 

 

The widow went to the Serangoon neighbourhood police centre to complain that her maid was poisoning her on Dec 22. 

 

Sergeant Norhafizah Kamaludin, 26, then interviewed Windri, who alleged that a neighbour had given her a pack of white-coloured pills that would make Madam Mah "slow down" and not nag and complain so much. 

The Indonesian maid had told a police officer she fed "medicine" to her 79-year-old employer to make her less troublesome. 

The maid, who had worked for Madam Mah for 2 years also said she got rid of the remaining pills when police were informed. 

 

In her separate police statement to investigating officer Ong Xiqing, Windri changed her story and said that she had brought the pills from Indonesia and had taken them when she had difficulty sleeping. 

 

Deputy Public Prosecutor Bhajanvir Singh asked the court not to show leniency to the Indonesian because employers and their family members need to be protected from violent maids. 

He said that Windri had abused the trust placed in her by her employer and had poisoned an elderly and very vulnerable victim.

 

****** 

 

The Angel 

 

Almost one third of the space in Ms Puji's bedroom was filled with her employers' children's toys. 

It shows the so much love she has for them. 

 

Her attachment to the children was evident - The children will always go to her room to play. 

 

Her employers were not the only ones Ms Puji left a deep impression on. 

Mr Samuel Lam, 36, a technical account director said:  

"When we got this maid in September 2008, we thought we were lucky to have her." 

 

A neighbour's 10-year-old son, Abdullah, said Ms Puji was very nice. 

She's very friendly, and would say 'hi' to him whenever she saw him.

 

Because of the abundance of her love towards the 2 children, she was even willing to lay her life down for the girls.

 

On Saturday night 24th April 2010, Indonesian maid Puji Astutik died proving her love - and saved her boss' one-year-old. 

 

Ms Puji, 28, was crossing the road with her employer, Mrs Lam's younger daughter, when an SMRT bendy bus ran into her at the junction of Choa Chu Kang Street 52 and Choa Chu Kang North 6 at around 7.30pm. 

 

She flung the baby girl forward but she herself, was pinned under the wheels. 

 

Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it took 11 minutes for them to extricate Ms Puji from underneath the bus using one 10-tonne jack with multiple injuries. 

She was conveyed to National University Hospital as was reported by The New Paper and Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao. 

 

She died later that night from her injuries. 

The Lams' daughter suffered minor scratches on her left arm and kept shivering that night. 

 

Both children were very attached to the maid. 

The elder girl asked her parents:  

"The bus hit Kaka, Kaka (sister) where?"

 

After witnessing the accident, both could not stop crying for a long time. 

After they stopped, both went into a daze and kept silent. 

 

Just 2 days before the incident, Ms Puji, 28, had pleaded with her mother in Indonesia to let her stay in Singapore after her contract expired. 

 

She loved her employer's two young daughters, aged 1 and 2, too much to leave.

Mr and Mrs Lam (above), Photo: TNP, intended to renew the maid's contract when it expired in September.

 

Ms Puji had S$3,221 in savings, which her employers had taken to the maid agency to be sent to her family.

 

Mr Eric Lim (above), director of Jack Focus Employment, who brought Ms Puji to Singapore, with her belongings that was sent home with her body.

He planned to raise S$10,000 for the maid's family, and hand the amount to the Indonesian embassy, which will then pass it to the family.

"It's such a pity. She (Ms Puji) worked so hard, she had aspirations, but just like that, she's said goodbye," said Mr Eric Lim.