Critical for society to address the challenges that maids face: Letter of the week

The article “9 months’ jail for maid who beat dog which later died” (Nov 26) and Forum letter “Hold employer liable over dog’s death” (Nov 29) raise questions about the challenges domestic workers face in executing their employers’ instructions.

In this case, the failure of Junny Lal Awm Pui to control the force used in hitting the dog as instructed led to its tragic death and her being jailed.

It is important to consider that domestic workers are not subordinates in an equal employer-employee relationship. They are a socio-economic underclass with limited access to legal and social support.

This may constrain their agency and impair their judgment when carrying out their employers’ tasks. They also have varying levels of education, little to no training in the norms and limits in undertaking specific tasks, and are likely to have limited familiarity with local laws.

It is thus critical for Singapore society to better address the challenges faced by foreign domestic workers. More research needs to be done to understand the considerable physical and psychological challenges of domestic work, and how this can impair workers’ judgment.

More resources need to be expended to regularly and substantively educate domestic workers on their responsibilities in a variety of domestic environments, the limits to obeying one’s employer, and the repercussions for specific transgressions.

The level of social support for these workers needs substantive augmentation so that they can act with greater independence when executing tasks without fear of reprisal. Only if we take steps to redress the significant inequalities domestic workers face can equality under the law have true legitimacy.

Mohamad Farid Harunal Rashid

Source: Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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