Netizens Slam S'pore Family For Eating At Restaurant While Their Maid Sits Without A Meal
According to netizens and former domestic helpers, this is a common occurrence.
By Kay Ng — 25 Jan 2023, 05:25 PM
A video posted to Facebook recently drew outrage among netizens, showcasing a family in Singapore enjoying a meal at a restaurant while their maid sat by without a meal of her own
The clip, posted by Singapore Incidents on 19 January, was accompanied by the caption, "Don't bring your domestic helper outside if you don’t want to pay for her meal."
The video has since garnered 66,000 views, 1,300 likes, and 446 comments at the time of writing from angered netizens who felt sympathy for the young maid.
Enraged netizens and former domestic workers who related to the maid's situation shared their thoughts in the comments section
A few users chastised the maid's employers, arguing that they're working far from home and deserve to be treated like human beings.
Others were angered that the employers were able to afford a maid yet weren't willing to buy her a meal.
One user claimed that her first employer wasn't even willing to buy her a cup of coffee.
Another former domestic helper said she has witnessed repeat incidences of employers not buying meals for their maids at restaurants.
She also relayed a heartbreaking personal experience where she was brought to a party by her employer, but she wasn't allowed to eat anything the whole time. She later returned home late at night and resigned herself to eating a bowl of noodles.
Other Facebook users supported their claims, stating this incident is not new and was something they had witnessed themselves
One user stated they once overheard a conversation between an employer and a waiter who offered her helper a drink. The employer waved away the waiter, saying, "She is just a maid."
According to a report released last year by Singaporean non-governmental organisation Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME), many migrant domestic workers in Singapore face emotional abuse at the hands of their employer.
This includes disrespect toward the worker's position as an employee, which inflicts "invisible wounds" and is thus harder to prosecute.
However, a few users came to the defence of the employers
One argued that since the maid was on the job, she was supposed to use that time working.
Another argued that since helpers receive salaries from their employers, they are not entitled to being treated to a meal.
A different Facebook user retorted by stating that it is an employer's obligation to feed their maid, or at the very least, buy them a drink.
One person said that netizens shouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions, as they claimed that the maid might not be eating due to her own food preferences.
A different user indirectly responded to their comment, stating that it was a logical conclusion to come to, given the sheer number of domestic helpers who have experienced a similar situation.
Malaysia is no stranger to this issue — horrific cases of abuse towards domestic helpers continue to surface today:
