http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/courts-crime/story/previous-maid-abuse-cases-20150515 PUBLISHED ON MAY 15, 2015 8:30 AM BY ANDREA NG SINGAPORE – A husband and wife were sentenced to jail on Thursday, after they were found guilty of slapping their domestic worker, pulling her hair and hitting her with a plastic stool. Rosman Anwar, 42, and Khairani Abdul Rahman, 47, had committed the offences […]

http://www.ucanews.com/news/daily-abuse-takes-toll-on-foreign-maids-in-singapore/73537 What Ami* is seeking is not particularly complicated. She would like a boss who doesn’t scream at her and a workday that won’t stretch to 18 hours long. She would like it if she weren’t forced to clean a second house at no extra pay. She would like to quietly get on with her […]

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/06/asia/indonesia-migrant-worker-ban/index.html (CNN)Migrant worker groups have reacted angrily to Indonesia’s move to ban its citizens from working as domestic helpers in 21 countries, mainly in the Middle East. They say it’ll do nothing to stop the abuse of Indonesian domestic workers, and will only drive the trade underground, exposing them to even greater risks. “(It’s) a […]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/05/indonesia-to-stop-sending-domestic-workers-to-middle-east-reports Indonesia will stop sending new domestic workers to 21 Middle Eastern countries after Saudi Arabia executed two Indonesian women in Saudi Arabia, angering Jakarta, local media reported on Tuesday. The ban affects countries including Saudi Arabia – a major destination for Indonesian maids – United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Egypt, and will come […]

http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/more-lifestyle-stories/story/angst-over-hiring-helper-20150503 By Fiona Chan Growing up without a maid, I learnt two sets of essential life skills. One was how to make my bed, clean my room, wash my toilet and launder my clothes. The other was how to develop a high tolerance for dirt so I wouldn’t have to do any of the above […]

Original article: http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/safe-keeping-maids%E2%80%99-pay-can-be-tricky About 600 complaints from maids about non-payment of salaries were received by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) each year for the last two years, and most involved safe keeping of the money. Releasing the figures in response to queries from The Straits Times, MOM reiterated that it discourages safe keeping of pay […]

BY AMELIA TAN SINGAPORE – A short film has been launched to urge employers to give their domestic workers a day off every week. The two minute-long video “Mums & Maids” features interviews with mothers, children and their maids. Through a series of questions and answers, the video shows that that domestic workers understand their […]

Original article: http://www.wsj.com/articles/singapore-turns-out-for-lee-kuan-yews-funeral-1427609125 SINGAPORE—Singaporean leaders and dozens of foreign dignitaries gathered Sunday to bid a final farewell to Lee Kuan Yew, the country’s founding prime minister, in a grand funeral ceremony with scale and pageantry unprecedented for this island city-state. Hundreds of thousands stood for hours in queues stretching several kilometers to pay respects last week […]

Original article at http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/grieving-parents-finally-get-apology-maid-agent Even today, 56-year-old Mr Lee Kai Yam still takes the lift from his fourth-floor home to the 16th floor nearly every night. He would stand for hours at the spot where his 12-year-old daughter Linda was flung to her death by the family’s 16-year- old Indonesian maid in 2010. One thought would […]

Original article: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/17/modern-slavery-bill-lords-amendment-rejected-mps Bill to allow migrant workers to change employer will return to Lords after MPs voted by majority of 67 against adopting amendment MPs have rejected an amendment made by the Lords to the modern slavery bill, which would allow migrant workers to change employer. The system of “tied visas”, introduced by the government […]