IF THE study conducted by the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home) is anything to go by, there are roughly 44,000 maids out of about a total of 220,000 who show signs of psychological problems ("Call to give maids more privacy, time with loved ones"; March 9).
This is an alarming figure, which should not be taken lightly, or else there will be dire consequences.
A maid in mental distress may pose a danger to herself as well as to her charges, especially the elderly and infants.
While I agree with Mr Jolovan Wham, Home's executive director, that maids should be allowed to set up a strong support network to ensure that they are respected and get the help they need, I doubt many workers would dare to give negative feedback about their employers, for fear of repercussions.
Hence, they have to endure hardship and cannot antagonise their bosses, lest they be sent back to their country.
The situation is worse for those who have been working for only a few months, after having incurred huge expenses to come to Singapore.
And what about employers themselves? Some of them may have signs of psychological distress too.
Although most bosses are familiar with the law and know that harsh punishments will be meted out upon those found guilty of abusing their maids, the number of abuse cases is still high.
Such employers need to undergo counselling, as maid abuse stems from psychological problems on their part.
All these problems need to be addressed, and it might be equally beneficial to form an agency through which employers could voice their grievances or offer suggestions.
Jeffrey Law Lee Beng
This is an alarming figure, which should not be taken lightly, or else there will be dire consequences.
A maid in mental distress may pose a danger to herself as well as to her charges, especially the elderly and infants.
While I agree with Mr Jolovan Wham, Home's executive director, that maids should be allowed to set up a strong support network to ensure that they are respected and get the help they need, I doubt many workers would dare to give negative feedback about their employers, for fear of repercussions.
Hence, they have to endure hardship and cannot antagonise their bosses, lest they be sent back to their country.
The situation is worse for those who have been working for only a few months, after having incurred huge expenses to come to Singapore.
And what about employers themselves? Some of them may have signs of psychological distress too.
Although most bosses are familiar with the law and know that harsh punishments will be meted out upon those found guilty of abusing their maids, the number of abuse cases is still high.
Such employers need to undergo counselling, as maid abuse stems from psychological problems on their part.
All these problems need to be addressed, and it might be equally beneficial to form an agency through which employers could voice their grievances or offer suggestions.
Jeffrey Law Lee Beng
