2006 July
A word from the President
The rest of your article follows here.
Hi all,
This is my first note to all of you and I must say that it has taken a bit of time to get connected. I am happy to welcome all new members. And for the month of July we have had 18 new members. Thank you for believing in TWC 2 and wanting to support the work. We hope you will be part of our journey in this area of work.
It is soon going to be two years since we were officially registered as a society. We have managed to set up office, employ one full-time staff, engage another on a part-time basis, and get our house in order. We have also managed to have some key projects (recorded in previous newsletters) in the last two years in spite of being without money for almost a year. And most importantly we have kept in touch with workers who need us most through our helpline. TWC2 is not perfect. But for all of us who are engaged we try our best as we have chosen to volunteer for this cause. And it is timely to thank a whole bunch of volunteers who came in to do street interviews for a research project on wages of foreign domestic workers. This project is almost complete and the results will be, indeed, useful for advocacy. And before we can also close on one project the team is equally enthusiastic to apply the research to male workers! And the story of how it began is charming in itself as it was volunteer-driven, beginning when current Exco member, Stephanie Chok, walked in to talk to me about issues and then it became a case of pulling in more and more friends and contacts to form a research team. This is energy – the spirit that keeps any organization ticking and makes us at Exco level feel that we are not alone.
So thank you - Debbie, Jackie, Joshua, Rika, Endina, Vennes, Nina Siew, Preeya, Amra, Baiross, Yi-Seng, Babita, Denny, Anna Amador – fieldwork team for doing your part and a big thank-you to Delia and Ricky for seeing it through. We hope to release the results in August/September.
For 2006/7 TWC2 will continue to concentrate on getting its advocacy out there and to the officialdom over cases. TWC2 will also concentrate on research and we are looking for volunteers and funds for this. And no organization worth its salt, can do advocacy without doing outreach. Hence our helpline is crucial and we need to set up a pool of volunteers rather than just have Amy and Noora handle the calls and the cases. We are as committed as before to being that organization that seeks to improve conditions for foreign workers (as human beings and as workers) and improve relationships between employers and employees.
TWC2 will continue to ask for standardization of contracts and that these then have to come under a law for governance to be a reality. The new contracts are an improvement but they are still problematic as they are loaded in favour of the employers and have too many options for the employers to choose from. The work in this area will continue. I appeal to all members to think about being engaged and to attend our orientations so that at least you become an advocate in your own circle.
Till the next time,
Cheers,
Braema Mathi
The rest of your article follows here.
Hi all,
This is my first note to all of you and I must say that it has taken a bit of time to get connected. I am happy to welcome all new members. And for the month of July we have had 18 new members. Thank you for believing in TWC 2 and wanting to support the work. We hope you will be part of our journey in this area of work.
It is soon going to be two years since we were officially registered as a society. We have managed to set up office, employ one full-time staff, engage another on a part-time basis, and get our house in order. We have also managed to have some key projects (recorded in previous newsletters) in the last two years in spite of being without money for almost a year. And most importantly we have kept in touch with workers who need us most through our helpline. TWC2 is not perfect. But for all of us who are engaged we try our best as we have chosen to volunteer for this cause. And it is timely to thank a whole bunch of volunteers who came in to do street interviews for a research project on wages of foreign domestic workers. This project is almost complete and the results will be, indeed, useful for advocacy. And before we can also close on one project the team is equally enthusiastic to apply the research to male workers! And the story of how it began is charming in itself as it was volunteer-driven, beginning when current Exco member, Stephanie Chok, walked in to talk to me about issues and then it became a case of pulling in more and more friends and contacts to form a research team. This is energy – the spirit that keeps any organization ticking and makes us at Exco level feel that we are not alone.
So thank you - Debbie, Jackie, Joshua, Rika, Endina, Vennes, Nina Siew, Preeya, Amra, Baiross, Yi-Seng, Babita, Denny, Anna Amador – fieldwork team for doing your part and a big thank-you to Delia and Ricky for seeing it through. We hope to release the results in August/September.
For 2006/7 TWC2 will continue to concentrate on getting its advocacy out there and to the officialdom over cases. TWC2 will also concentrate on research and we are looking for volunteers and funds for this. And no organization worth its salt, can do advocacy without doing outreach. Hence our helpline is crucial and we need to set up a pool of volunteers rather than just have Amy and Noora handle the calls and the cases. We are as committed as before to being that organization that seeks to improve conditions for foreign workers (as human beings and as workers) and improve relationships between employers and employees.
TWC2 will continue to ask for standardization of contracts and that these then have to come under a law for governance to be a reality. The new contracts are an improvement but they are still problematic as they are loaded in favour of the employers and have too many options for the employers to choose from. The work in this area will continue. I appeal to all members to think about being engaged and to attend our orientations so that at least you become an advocate in your own circle.
Till the next time,
Cheers,
Braema Mathi
Well Spotted! Well Said!
‘Filipino & Indon Maids. No day off. Lowest pay & fee.’
This is how an employment agency in Katong Mall advertised its services recently. M, a TWC2 member, spotted the sign and contacted the office on 22nd June. She later sent in a photograph of the sign. A few days later, a letter from Ken Lee Jun Jie, a member of the public, appeared in ‘The Straits Times’. He said:
‘The portrayal of the ideal maid as one who works seven days a week and earns very little upset me greatly.
Unfortunately, such an attitude reflects the way most Singaporeans view domestic workers today. As consumers, we value low price and utility. However, let’s limit this evaluation to when we are rummaging through the racks at the Great Singapore Sale and not treat human beings as consumer goods.
The women who serve in our homes are people with dignity. We must learn to respect them and also ensure that our children do not grow up taking them for granted.
Signs like the one I saw should be taken down.’
Just a few years ago, when TWC2 began its work, advertising like this was still common. It has declined a lot, and people who spot it and complain can help to get rid of it once and for all. Members are asked to keep an eye open for any similar advertisements and let us know about them – and if you can take a photo of the offending ad, that’s all the better. This information will be followed up.
Getting rid of advertisements such as these may not stop agencies from supplying domestic workers on a low pay, no day off basis, especially as there is still a strong public demand for them, but at least it will help to show that there is a large part of society that takes a very critical view of such practices.
Patterns of Abuse: Uneven Progress
Three years ago, The Working Committee 2, our forerunner group, issued to the press ‘Understanding domestic worker abuse in Singapore: the cultural aspects of exploitation.’ This was a summary of the paper of the same name drafted by one of our research groups (Its members were Constance Singam, Kelly Fu, Christopher Len and Ng Wei Chian).
I thought I’d take a look at the record of the three years since that research was conducted to see if it pointed to any changes having taken place. Though not too much should be read into a summary of a small sample, it would seem that, while some progress has been made in combating the most serious forms of abuse, there are indications that, in certain areas of concern identified in 2003, no noticeable improvement has occurred.
CURRENT FINDINGS
The original research group compiled information on 147 abuse cases that occurred between 1998 and June 2003. The cases consisted of those reported in the media, but the information gleaned from these reports was supplemented considerably by that gathered from organizations working for the welfare of domestic workers. The more recent research considered 46 legal cases: 48 abused women were identified and 50 abusers. Two of the legal cases concerned sexual molestation of domestic workers by foreign workers; in every other case, the abuse was by employers or members of employers’ families. These were cases reported in the Singapore press between Ist July 2003 and 30th June 2006, with no additional information from other sources.
Of the cases summarised in 2003, 68 per cent involved physical abuse and 15 per cent sexual charges. Other complaints recorded were overwork, malnourishment and underpayment. These latter forms of abuse were hardly mentioned in the reports considered for the past three years: in only four cases was overwork indicated and in one, an employer was reported to have underfed a worker. From TWC2’s experience, we can say that these complaints are more widespread than those of physical abuse, but evidently in the cases that resulted in legal action, physical and sexual abuse were the main concerns.
In the 48 recent cases considered, some involved both forms of abuse: 36 involved physical abuse and 16 cases involved sexual abuse. There is a change in the ratio of one to the other here: sexual abuse cases were almost 1:2 compared to violent ones in the latest figures, while in the earlier ones they were under 1:4. This does not necessarily indicate a rise in the number of sexual offences: it might mean that more are being reported, for example, which could indicate a greater readiness by victims to speak out and more considerate attitudes on the part of the police. Nevertheless, the difference is large enough to suggest that this might deserve closer monitoring and investigation in the future.
ABUSERS
In the original study, 4 in 10 abusers were identified as being in the 31-45 age bracket; in the present one, 28 out of 47 abusers whose ages were known were in this age group – 6 out of 10. Six were younger; 13 older.
Probably one of the most significant findings of the original study was that most abuse was carried out by women: there were twice as many female as male abusers. In the present sample, there were 32 female abusers compared to 18 male, but that lumps together both forms of abuse considered. When physical abuse alone is considered, 31 abusers were women and five were men. The pattern noted earlier appears to have been accentuated.
TWC2 suggested in 2003 that this pattern of abuse was largely due to the stresses suffered by Singaporean women. Typically, abusers were struggling with full time jobs and domestic responsibilities; they were having a hard time paying their way and found the demands of raising their children very stressful. Their partners did not share fully in domestic responsibilities and the supervision of domestic workers was regarded as an extension of the ‘mistress of the house’s’ duties; these factors, and the relative defencelessness of the domestic workers led to abuse taking place. If there really has been an increase in the proportion of cases of physical abuse committed by women in the past three years, this might indicate that some married women are finding the strains and stresses of present-day society more burdensome than ever compared to their husbands.
ABUSED
In the 2003 summary, 60 per cent of those abused were reported to have been Indonesian, compared to 23 per cent Filipina and 17 per cent other. In the cases in the sample from the last three years, 32 out of 45 whose nationalities were known were Indonesian: just over 70 per cent. This growth may be largely due to an increase in the employment of Indonesian workers, particularly by families that are struggling to pay their way and want them because they are considered to be employable at lower salary rates than Filipina domestic workers.
Of the other abused workers in the past three years, 7 were Filipinas, 5 Indians and one from Myanmar.
The great majority of the abused women were young, in both samples. In the 2003 study, at least 72 per cent were under 30 years of age (18 per cent 20 years old or less, 34 21-25, 20 26-30) – 16 per cent were unrecorded. In the 2003-2006 sample, 41 women out of 45 whose ages were recorded were 30 or younger – about 91 per cent, which, given the unknown element in the earlier study, may suggest that there has been little change in the age breakdown between over- and under- 30s.
In years to come, it will be useful to track the impact of the introduction of the MOM regulation stipulating that, as of 1st January 2005, all new foreign domestic workers would have to be at least 23 years old and have at least eight years of formal education. Of those abused workers whose ages were recorded in the past three years, 15 were under 23, and 15 more were 23-25. 11 were 26-30 and only four were older. The current figures underline the vulnerability of the younger women to abuse, and we should expect to see some reduction in abuse cases as the change in the regulations makes its impact felt.
CONCLUSION
Official statistics indicate that overall, the number of cases of domestic worker abuse is declining. It is disturbing that the significant skew towards abuse of Indonesian domestic workers remains very much in evidence. A further cause for concern is the apparent growth in the proportion of female abusers, suggesting that the problems identified in the earlier report may have become accentuated in some sectors of society. This may well be the result of employment and income trends during the past three years. One of the conclusions of TWC2’s research in 2003 was that Singapore needed to develop a broader raft of social support mechanisms, including nurseries and after school facilities, as well as alternatives to domestic workers, such as affordable trained childminders and part-time cleaners. This will take time, but seems to be needed, for the sake of both Singapore families under strain and foreign domestic workers.
John Gee
‘Filipino & Indon Maids. No day off. Lowest pay & fee.’
This is how an employment agency in Katong Mall advertised its services recently. M, a TWC2 member, spotted the sign and contacted the office on 22nd June. She later sent in a photograph of the sign. A few days later, a letter from Ken Lee Jun Jie, a member of the public, appeared in ‘The Straits Times’. He said:
‘The portrayal of the ideal maid as one who works seven days a week and earns very little upset me greatly.
Unfortunately, such an attitude reflects the way most Singaporeans view domestic workers today. As consumers, we value low price and utility. However, let’s limit this evaluation to when we are rummaging through the racks at the Great Singapore Sale and not treat human beings as consumer goods.
The women who serve in our homes are people with dignity. We must learn to respect them and also ensure that our children do not grow up taking them for granted.
Signs like the one I saw should be taken down.’
Just a few years ago, when TWC2 began its work, advertising like this was still common. It has declined a lot, and people who spot it and complain can help to get rid of it once and for all. Members are asked to keep an eye open for any similar advertisements and let us know about them – and if you can take a photo of the offending ad, that’s all the better. This information will be followed up.
Getting rid of advertisements such as these may not stop agencies from supplying domestic workers on a low pay, no day off basis, especially as there is still a strong public demand for them, but at least it will help to show that there is a large part of society that takes a very critical view of such practices.
Patterns of Abuse: Uneven Progress
Three years ago, The Working Committee 2, our forerunner group, issued to the press ‘Understanding domestic worker abuse in Singapore: the cultural aspects of exploitation.’ This was a summary of the paper of the same name drafted by one of our research groups (Its members were Constance Singam, Kelly Fu, Christopher Len and Ng Wei Chian).
I thought I’d take a look at the record of the three years since that research was conducted to see if it pointed to any changes having taken place. Though not too much should be read into a summary of a small sample, it would seem that, while some progress has been made in combating the most serious forms of abuse, there are indications that, in certain areas of concern identified in 2003, no noticeable improvement has occurred.
CURRENT FINDINGS
The original research group compiled information on 147 abuse cases that occurred between 1998 and June 2003. The cases consisted of those reported in the media, but the information gleaned from these reports was supplemented considerably by that gathered from organizations working for the welfare of domestic workers. The more recent research considered 46 legal cases: 48 abused women were identified and 50 abusers. Two of the legal cases concerned sexual molestation of domestic workers by foreign workers; in every other case, the abuse was by employers or members of employers’ families. These were cases reported in the Singapore press between Ist July 2003 and 30th June 2006, with no additional information from other sources.
Of the cases summarised in 2003, 68 per cent involved physical abuse and 15 per cent sexual charges. Other complaints recorded were overwork, malnourishment and underpayment. These latter forms of abuse were hardly mentioned in the reports considered for the past three years: in only four cases was overwork indicated and in one, an employer was reported to have underfed a worker. From TWC2’s experience, we can say that these complaints are more widespread than those of physical abuse, but evidently in the cases that resulted in legal action, physical and sexual abuse were the main concerns.
In the 48 recent cases considered, some involved both forms of abuse: 36 involved physical abuse and 16 cases involved sexual abuse. There is a change in the ratio of one to the other here: sexual abuse cases were almost 1:2 compared to violent ones in the latest figures, while in the earlier ones they were under 1:4. This does not necessarily indicate a rise in the number of sexual offences: it might mean that more are being reported, for example, which could indicate a greater readiness by victims to speak out and more considerate attitudes on the part of the police. Nevertheless, the difference is large enough to suggest that this might deserve closer monitoring and investigation in the future.
ABUSERS
In the original study, 4 in 10 abusers were identified as being in the 31-45 age bracket; in the present one, 28 out of 47 abusers whose ages were known were in this age group – 6 out of 10. Six were younger; 13 older.
Probably one of the most significant findings of the original study was that most abuse was carried out by women: there were twice as many female as male abusers. In the present sample, there were 32 female abusers compared to 18 male, but that lumps together both forms of abuse considered. When physical abuse alone is considered, 31 abusers were women and five were men. The pattern noted earlier appears to have been accentuated.
TWC2 suggested in 2003 that this pattern of abuse was largely due to the stresses suffered by Singaporean women. Typically, abusers were struggling with full time jobs and domestic responsibilities; they were having a hard time paying their way and found the demands of raising their children very stressful. Their partners did not share fully in domestic responsibilities and the supervision of domestic workers was regarded as an extension of the ‘mistress of the house’s’ duties; these factors, and the relative defencelessness of the domestic workers led to abuse taking place. If there really has been an increase in the proportion of cases of physical abuse committed by women in the past three years, this might indicate that some married women are finding the strains and stresses of present-day society more burdensome than ever compared to their husbands.
ABUSED
In the 2003 summary, 60 per cent of those abused were reported to have been Indonesian, compared to 23 per cent Filipina and 17 per cent other. In the cases in the sample from the last three years, 32 out of 45 whose nationalities were known were Indonesian: just over 70 per cent. This growth may be largely due to an increase in the employment of Indonesian workers, particularly by families that are struggling to pay their way and want them because they are considered to be employable at lower salary rates than Filipina domestic workers.
Of the other abused workers in the past three years, 7 were Filipinas, 5 Indians and one from Myanmar.
The great majority of the abused women were young, in both samples. In the 2003 study, at least 72 per cent were under 30 years of age (18 per cent 20 years old or less, 34 21-25, 20 26-30) – 16 per cent were unrecorded. In the 2003-2006 sample, 41 women out of 45 whose ages were recorded were 30 or younger – about 91 per cent, which, given the unknown element in the earlier study, may suggest that there has been little change in the age breakdown between over- and under- 30s.
In years to come, it will be useful to track the impact of the introduction of the MOM regulation stipulating that, as of 1st January 2005, all new foreign domestic workers would have to be at least 23 years old and have at least eight years of formal education. Of those abused workers whose ages were recorded in the past three years, 15 were under 23, and 15 more were 23-25. 11 were 26-30 and only four were older. The current figures underline the vulnerability of the younger women to abuse, and we should expect to see some reduction in abuse cases as the change in the regulations makes its impact felt.
CONCLUSION
Official statistics indicate that overall, the number of cases of domestic worker abuse is declining. It is disturbing that the significant skew towards abuse of Indonesian domestic workers remains very much in evidence. A further cause for concern is the apparent growth in the proportion of female abusers, suggesting that the problems identified in the earlier report may have become accentuated in some sectors of society. This may well be the result of employment and income trends during the past three years. One of the conclusions of TWC2’s research in 2003 was that Singapore needed to develop a broader raft of social support mechanisms, including nurseries and after school facilities, as well as alternatives to domestic workers, such as affordable trained childminders and part-time cleaners. This will take time, but seems to be needed, for the sake of both Singapore families under strain and foreign domestic workers.
John Gee