Domestic helpers come to Singapore in hopes of earning a living and giving their loved ones a better life back home.
Unfortunately, some of them are mistreated and abused by their employers.
In 2017, Rosdiana Abdul Rahim abused her young Indonesian helper by making her shower with the door open and kicking her in her private parts.
The 33-year-old was found guilty of 6 charges, including insulting the helper’s modesty, criminal force, causing hurt, and criminal intimidation.
On Tuesday (17 Aug), she’s been sentenced to jail for 15 months and 2 weeks.
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), the Indonesian helper came to Singapore for the first time in Sep 2017.
Throughout her 3 months of working for Rosdiana, she was not given any off day or payment.
She was tasked with taking care of the household and Rosdiana’s twins, as well as the children in Rosdiana’s mother’s home.
The helper’s rest times were irregular. She was also told to sleep on the floor outside a toilet.
Rosdiana threw away a batik cloth she used, claiming it was smelly, leaving her with no pillow or blanket. Using the same excuse, Rosdiana discarded the helper’s clothes and towels.
Things only escalated from there. In Oct 2017, Rosdiana accused the helper of being “very smelly” and instructed her to shower before her, reported The Straits Times.
Rosdiana pushed the fully clothed helper into the shower and sprayed her down.
Then, she demanded the helper to remove her wet clothes and turned on the shower.
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Rosdiana’s husband walked into the room while the helper was naked. She tried to cover her body, but Rosdiana remarked that her husband would not be interested.
The helper was then made to change in the bedroom as Rosdiana sat on the bed.
Recalling the incident, the helper said she was humiliated and felt she lost her value.
On another occasion, the helper had baby powder on her face before heading to a hotel for an event with the family.
Rosdiana told the helper she looked ugly, taking the powder and pouring it on her face until her eyes hurt.
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When the helper tried to remove the powder, Rosdiana made threats against her family, leaving her crying in fear.
During the 3-day hotel stay, Rosdiana did not allow her to bring anything, and she had no change of clothes.
When they returned home on 11 Dec 2017, Rosdiana said the helper’s clothes stank because she had not changed them for 3 days.
Rosdiana then kicked the helper in her private parts twice. The second kick knocked her backwards, and she hit her back, reported TODAY Online.
When the helper tried to get her clothes, Rosdiana pushed the cupboard door on her arm, hurting her.
The next day, Rosdiana and her husband left the helper at her maid agency without explanation. She had no belongings with her and did not know she was being sent home.
The staff then took her to lodge a police report.
On Tuesday (17 Aug), Rosdiana was sentenced to 15 months and 2 weeks’ jail. The 33-year-old also has to pay the victim a compensation fee of $2,500.
If she fails to pay up, she would have to spend an extra 11 days in prison.
During mitigation, Rosdiana’s lawyer said she has “sunk into depths of depression”, adding that the arrest, police investigations, and court attendances have left her shell-shocked.
She will treasure any second chances given to her and will not squander them away.
Rosdiana’s bail is set at $10,000. The Straits Times reports that she wishes to appeal against her conviction and sentence.
In July, Rosdiana was convicted of 6 charges, including insulting the helper’s modesty, criminal force, causing hurt, and criminal intimidation.
She was acquitted of a 7th charge of pulling the helper’s shirt and bra.
With their work behind closed doors, helpers are one of the most vulnerable groups in the country.
We can only imagine the helper’s fear and helplessness throughout her employment.
Hopefully, her employer has learnt her lesson and will reflect on her actions when behind bars.
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Featured image adapted from Fullsun and Google Maps.
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