They starved there maid

Singapore couple convicted for starving Pinay maid
SINGAPORE – A Singaporean couple were convicted yesterday of violating employment laws for starving their Filipina maid until her weight dropped to 29 kilograms (64 pounds).

Trader Lim Choon Hong and his wife, Chong Sui Foon, both 47, admitted failing to provide enough food for a foreign domestic worker over a 15-month period.

They will be sentenced at a later date. The offense is punishable by up to a year in prison plus a maximum fine of Sg$10,000 ($7,300).

A district court heard that Thelma Oyasan Gawidan, 40, lost nearly 20 kilos, shed hair and stopped menstruating while working for the couple at their condominium in the posh Orchard Road area.

Gawidan was only allowed two meals a day, usually a few slices of white bread and small portions of instant noodles prepared by Chong.

Even when Gawidan went with the family on a Hong Kong holiday, Chong made sure to pack white bread and instant noodles for her maid.

Gawidan had no access to her cell phone and was not allowed to go out on her own to buy food, court papers showed.

About a year into her employment, she was made to use a bathroom next to the condominium’s swimming pool whenever she had to relieve herself or take a shower, and had to be accompanied by a family member. She was only allowed to shower twice a week.

Gawidan ran away in April 2014 and called a compatriot for help.

She was taken to a migrant worker shelter which helped her file a complaint with the manpower ministry.

Many Singapore households depend on foreign domestic help. In 2015 there were 231,500 foreign maids working in the affluent city-state,

 

Toss in some labor and I'm with you. Maybe digging with their hands.

Would it be too much to expect that they will be banned from importing domestic help again?

 

I don't understand anyone can do like that, 1 year in prison is a joke. Wonder what kind of punishment, a foreigner would get in Philippines for same ?

 

Deplorable! but I have to wonder why people leave issues like this so long to complain about, better to loose a job than loose your life.
I mentioned this to our helper (Maid) and she told us that 2 jobs ago on Cebu She and a Younger Girl had to eat Leftovers/Scraps after the family (Indians) had Ate, once, She told us, she felt like Putting powder Laxative in the food but then thought they may make us eat this

 

We lived in Singapore for 3 years and it may be squeaky clean on the surface but there is a dark underbelly.
One case i remember is of an Indonesian maid to a Chinese Singaporean family (always seems to be the Chinese), the newspaper report was that when the mother and father were out of the house the brother and sister would amuse themselves by torturing the maid (maybe nothing good on tv), the torture apparently included pulling out teeth with pliers.
This was quite a while ago so i can't remember what the punishment was but if the brother and sister are still eating with their own teeth then it was not enough.

 

Spit gum on the sidewalk and get caned. Hold someone hostage for a year and get fined $7500. F Singapore. It was probably the fault of the maid, maybe she was a picky eater....not. Some of these domestic helpers have never left their province and then they get stuck in a foreign country and are made to believe that they have no recourse. I personally know a Filipina that got stuck in a middle eastern country and literally had to escape the country before she was raped by the boss. It makes me sick when people of means abuse people who are less fortunate. I hope they rot in hell....the sooner the better.

 

There are some pretty terrible things happen in the world. Some are acceptable at least by local standards.
I lived in Bahrain for 18 months and stories in the local (government controlled) paper made me shudder.

Family keeps Bangladeshi maid captive and without pay for 17 years. Their excuse "she was a bad cook and the laundry was not clean".
The court decided the family must pay half the wages and repatriate the maid. Wow.

Four young men take young Filipina into dessert and rape her, steal here cell phone.
Defense lawyer says "these are just young men having a good time".
Judgment: probation and return the cell phone.

Indian construction workers refuse to work. They have not been paid for 6 months.
All are arrested for breaking their employment contract and released when they agree to go back to work.
The employer is given a year to catch up on the unpaid wages.

Those little tidbits are not the underbelly of the country. This is mainstream over there.

 

I'm against prison on this fully. Its straight out torture, slavery, and inhumane treatment of a worker. Such things should have a very strict example punishment... death sentence. Scum like this its not that things are tight for a bit or trying to show dominance over a bad employee. Its the thrill of knowing you hold someone else's life literally in their hand and can do virtually whatever they want to that person no matter how horrible. That kind of scum needs to be wiped off the face of the planet.

 

This is what I was talking about in another thread. Nobody signs up for this kind of abuse knowingly. IMHO compensation should be in order for the victim. Not a fine!