Sep 13, 2009

4. What are the solutions to this problem? (by Tan Lik Xian)

(Article from internet)
As the government may not be able to crack down on all cases of maid abuse due to the nature of domestic work (i.e. maids work in households and whatever happens is behind closed doors), we have proposed some measures to better help condone the problem of maid abuse. Our solutions have been backed up by the maids we have interviewed.

One possible solution is through the campaigning for maids’ rights. As found out from our interviewees, they wish that their employers will understand their importance in the society and that they are also normal human beings that need to be treated normally. As so correctly stated by Emily, ‘yes they are rich they are clever, all of them are rich men, so who will do the household? Who will be the domestic worker, you must think, because you have a domestic worker, that’s why you can put aside your house cleaning…’ Indeed, the importance of domestic workers in the society is to be recognized and respected. Our maids have expressed their wish to be treated equally as normal human beings. ‘We are human being so treat us like, treat like really normal. No need to be so special, just normal, we know how is our life’. Hence, through campaigning, we can get people nowadays to understand that and thus improve the treatment of maids.

Another solution is the education of the younger generation. The situation of maid abuse cannot be changed overnight as peoples’ mindsets will not change easily. The mindsets of the older generation may be difficult to change, but the government can start with the education of our young generation. By educating them more on mutual respect, rights and equality, the future leaders of our country will be able to improve the situation of maid abuse in Singapore more effectively. Many of these youngsters will become future employers of maids, and education from young will influence them to treat their domestic workers with much more respect, understanding and compassion than the generation today.

(5 OCT 2009)
Beside the solution mention lately, I refer to maid abuse cases in other country such as Singapore. An article from this web site- http://domesticworkerabuse.pbworks.com/ .I found that maid abuse cases happen everywhere and goverment and personal organizations are trying hard to solve the problem.

The article stated like this -
In order to make a change, the root of the problem must be attended to—the public’s attitude toward domestic workers. To meet our goal of stopping domestic worker abuse, we think that it is necessary to first make the public aware of these abuses. In order to create awareness, we will make car bumper stickers and sell them for SGD3.50. The proceeds will be donated to an established organization, H.O.M.E. (Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics) which provides a shelter for runaway, abused maids in Singapore. These bumper stickers will have phrases such as "My maid is happy" or "Honk once if your maid is happy." We will sell them in our campus during Food Fest and also around Singapore during a weekend when there is a high volume of the public in Orchard Road, or we will find a store to aid us in our sale. By reaching out to the public and getting others to buy these bumper stickers, the issue will continue to be advertised around the country.
Some problems might occur, such as the lack of willingness of the public to buy, since, as students, we are not working directly under an accredited organization and do not have much publicity for our project. This is the reason why we will individually sell it face to face because we could help explaining the purpose of the bumper sticker. This project will definitely create awareness because we are selling it not only around Singapore American School, but also Singapore itself. These stickers will act as a vehicle for us to keep spreading awareness beyond our own capacities. Hopefully, they will be able to spark interest and change in others’ treatment of domestic workers. (For more information please refer to the link)

From my owe point of view, I believe to create
awareness to public is important as will totatlly solve the problem but it will be very slow in other words effective but not efficiency. It may took 10-20 years to solve the problem, by that time Indoneasia might probably stop sending us workers anymore and cause us economic problem. For instant, the stop smoking campaign been held in Malaysia for several years but somehow my male friends around me are still smoking. I believe if we can't settle a problem in a SOFT way then we might need to use a HARD WAY. Malaysia Goverment body should enforce the law and strengthen penalty for those who caught maid abuse. Heavy penalty such as 3 years in jail plus corporal punishment. In that case, we can obtain immediate results.

10 comments:

  1. Hello, I am AMIRAH ABDUL RAFFAR. I am doubtful on what you had stated here as this text is not your writing. Am I right? I am expecting you to write on your own point of view but still referring on the right and reliable sources through you reading. I am afraid that you are mention the weak point as you said that; "we have proposed some measures to better help condone the problem of maid abuse. Our solutions have been backed up by the maids we have interviewed". Here I can conclude that you are copying the text without the acknowledgment of the writer and its sources. Or else, do you really conducted the interview? If you were, you should at least tell the readers the brief introduction about the interview session and perhaps some photos as a proof. I do hope that you would quotes from the reading and the text would be more reliable and informative as you yourself can gain knowledge through readings. TQ (:

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  2. Im Sivaneswary Raman.Yes I agreed with your solution.We frequently open our newspapers to read yet another story about cruelty to maids.There have been sexual assaults, humiliation inflicted by employers ‘ children, forced labour in multiple household , withholding of pay as punishments gor alleged incompetence.I urge employers, employment agencies and the authorities not to treat them as isolated cases.Imposing penalties for offences is not only answer.We have to get to root of the problem.One significant and glaring area of neglect has been continuous education and training for domestic workers, employers and employment agencies.I suggest a training course for first time maid employers.It is a small step in the right direction.Thorugh this course the employers will be given the training to treat the maid and they also get to know the punishment of maid abuse.So that, the employers afraid to treat the maid badly because of the punishments.The traing may could reduce the number of maid abuse cases.thank you .

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  3. Hai,im SYURIANY SYAIFUL GUSMENTA..I agree on your second solution.Government should start the education for young generation.In school,they should give an extra focus on civic education because it is very important to built someones characters right?Besides that,parents also play an important role to guide their children while they are at home.Many parents nowadays are working parents and they have no time to teach their children.

    We can see that parents is like a 'role-model'.For example,if the parents abuse the maid,their children will do the same as their parents when they grow up.That will support my point of view in how to solve this problem.Parents should play their role which is teach their children about civic education consist of moral values~~

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  4. I'm AMIRAH ABDUL RAFFAR. Hello Tan, why did you didn't give us any response?

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  5. Lik Xian: Shall I start off with 'Thousand of apologize' I'm sorry for late late late reply to you guys comments for this particular part. Actualy I come across this few times and I still thinking of how to give my part a better solution and give you guys a satisfying answer. Well! Here I am. Hope will not be as the song "it's too late to apologize, it's too late.." lol.
    First of all thank you guys for reading my part and giving me your precious comments. Special thanks to Syuriany and Sivaneswary Raman for supporting and agreed my answers. :)
    For Dear Amirah Abdul Raffar,I think i start off with another new comment cause might be very long. :) Be patient my friend.

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  6. Lik Xian: My fellow classmate Amirah Abdul Raffar. This particular comment is specially for you and I gonna answer all your questions in here once and for all.
    First of all I'm going to solve your doubtful part which am I copying an article blindly? YES, I am. And you got me, a nice hit right to my face, ouch!! >.< pain, pain. But is good that you realy do study and analyze my blog. Well, you know those hari raya break make me feel lazy plus lots of assignments to rush, so before that I just browse thru some article and copy it. Sorry for that. But my intension not just simply copy and settle this blog simply, just I want to make a postpone and fine-tune it later on. As I believe Rome was not built in a day, and so as my blog. The above article source is from the internet and I don't know what is link as is only a word document file. But if u insists to know where the source from, you can copy few line from the article and google it, thanks. So , I already show you all the main article and I'll now show you guys my owe point of view base of my acknowledgement thru reading by editing the pose. So sit back and be ready for my final version. Thank you!!

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  7. I'm Syuriany...i agree with u Lik Xian..to create a sense of public awareness is very difficult nowadays.People in a modern world is lack of humanity and simply doing something without think about it first.And because of that,government should give them penalty which is extra longer time live in prison to make them realize how bad is torturing and abusing maid and what is the effect of the maid issue to Malaysian people..thank you..

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  8. AHMAD SHARIF: can anyone give me an idea of why the govt, i mean malaysia, rise up the salary of indons maids?ins't RM450 - RM600 enough for them?i hope you guys realise that they dont have to pay anything - home, food, renewal of visa, and even topup (some lah). they can keep the money for the rest of their life or send it to their hometown..that's all.. TQ

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  9. AMIRAH ABDUL RAFFAR said...
    To Tan: Thanks for your explanation.
    To Sharif: I think that was only the propaganda of the government to at least heal up the problem arising because of the abuses on Indonesian maids upon Indonesia Govt. I think so as Indonesia and Malaysia have a good relationship before and might be that acts would not ruin that relationship.

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  10. hai, im priya.. so sad because the maids came to works and for fill their stomach but the employee abuse them... this issue is very sensative.....

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