Underage maid reports severe abuse
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<cite style="display: block; font-style: normal; font-size: 10px; margin-top: 4px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; ">The maid was allegedly abused (left). The maid's employer (right) denied ever hiring a maid (right). (Pic / Omy)</cite>
A 17-year-old maid has been found to have suffered three months of abuse, allegedly at the hands of her employers. According to Lianhe Wanbao, the maid had arrived from Myanmar on 24 November last year and was sent to a household in Tampines where she was to take care of her employer's husband, who suffered a stroke.
However, that began her ordeal, where she was supposedly allowed to sleep only less than four hours a day. Her employer's family had allegedly abused her repeatedly, including stabbing her arms with scissors, beating her with clothes hangers, scratching her face with fingernails, and biting her on the arms, leaving teeth marks.
She was also allegedly kicked until her legs were so swollen she could barely walk, and hit on her head with hard objects, including a mug. She also claimed to have been punched on her face, resulting in a nose bleed, which her employer blame on her 'poor health'. Her employer had also allegedly broken the last finger on her left hand, and stripped her to take nude photos of her.
Because she was allowed to sleep only less than four hours a day, she fell asleep in the toilet once and got caught by her employer. Deciding that she was sleeping on her job, her employer had allegedly poured boiling water on her back. The maid suffered a blistered back but she did not get to see a doctor, nor apply any medicine.
On top of all these, the maid's employer allegedly never allowed her to go out alone, or to speak to anyone. The maid was also allegedly warned not to tell anyone about the abuse. Her employer had allegedly threatened her by saying that they will hire a killer to murder the maid's entire family should she talk to anyone about her ordeal.
The abuse was found out by chance on 22 Feb, when the maid was hanging laundry in the kitchen. She had waved to a neighbour thinking the man was her employer's son-in-law. Seeing the maid waving and thinking she was crying out for help, the neighbour alerted the police. The police called at the maid's unit and found her covered in injuries.
In fear, the maid had initially told the police that she had caused the injuries herself. But when pressed, she revealed the ordeal she had gone through in the past three months. Lianhe Wanbao reporters paid a visit to the flat in Tampines and spoke to the family living there, but the household denied having hired a maid. A neighbour, however, confirmed that the household indeed had a maid until last month.
Police are currently investigating the case.
