Maid fined $100 for flicking fingers at 2-year-old
AsiaOne
Thursday, Sep 06, 2012
An Indonesian maid was fined $100 today for flicking her fingers at a two-year-old boy in 2011.
Her employers' son suffered a swollen lip as a result of her act.
The judge had agreed with Leni Yusanti's lawyer that the exceptional case contained "very troubling, worrying and startling facts" about the way she was treated in the home of her employers.
Defence counsel Freddie Lim told the court that the 25-year-old had to work from 6am to 1am or 2am every day.
Her meals were also few and far between, with two slices of bread at 8am; instant noodles at 5pm and dinner consisting of leftovers after midnight.
She was also made to sleep on a mat on the kitchen floor.
Leni also had trouble getting her full salary paid. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) had to step in before her employers paid her the $300 they owed.
Mr Lim argued that she had committed the offence because she was under a lot of stress.
Yusanti was caught flicking her fingers at the boy's face by a miniature video camera installed in her employers' flat.
A gag order prevents the release of any details that could identify the boy.
Mr Lim represented Yusanti pro bono on the request of Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics.
She could have faced up to two years in jail or a fine of up to $5,000, or both.
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