Shocking! Maids are humans too
Tarani PalaniPublished: Jun 19, 2009 7:32 PM | Updated: Jun 19, 2009 8:22 PM
Migrant workers rights group Tenaganita director Irene Fernandez is appalled by the findings of a survey where the majority of respondents disagreed with giving their maids a day off.
Migrant workers rights group Tenaganita director Irene Fernandez is appalled by the findings of a survey where the majority of respondents disagreed with giving their maids a day off.
"If you ask the employer, of course they would not want to give up on their benefits. But I think this reaction is racist because maids from the Philippines have their off-day.
"I am shocked at how inhuman we have become that we don't recognise them as human beings and that they need their day off," she told Malaysiakini today.
Fernandez was responding to a survey conducted by The Star, where 75 percent of 769 respondents were against the proposal.
"We have taken them for granted and institutionalised abuse and violation. The government has been supporting the employers and allowing them to use domestic workers however they wish.
"There needs to be a change in the whole system," she stressed, adding that there is a prevalent fear among employers that if their maids are given an off-day, they might contract diseases or get pregnant.
Minister: We will push ahead
The government, on the other hand, has pledged to press ahead with its plan to enforce the mandatory day-off ruling despite the objections.
Human Resources Minister S Subramaniam told Malaysiakini that the ministry is mindful of the problems associated with the implementation of this policy.
"But it should not be used as an excuse to deny domestic helpers their rights," he noted.
"By and large, we are aware that employers are generally not happy with the proposal… but these problems should not be a reason to deny them (domestic workers) their right," he said, adding that the right is granted in the Employment Act.
"It was delayed for a while so we decided to add that (clause) in when we were drafting new regulations," he elaborated.
Subramaniam also said that the response from the survey was expected.
"Employers generally react negatively to such suggestions. So if the survey respondents are mostly employers then you'll get a negative response.
"But if you ask human rights activists, they'll most likely agree with it (the policy)," said the minister.
What the others say about the survey:
Ivy Josiah, Women’s Aid Organisation executive director
There are three things to take note. First, is that no matter what the popular view is, the government should do the right thing, which is domestic workers have a right to a day off.
The survey may just be a minority point of view. I have conducted my own personal survey within my circle of friends and they seem to be okay with the idea.
I think we need to be mature as there is an inherit suspicion among employers that their maid may run away and pick up 'bad habits'.
The policy has been implemented in other countries like Hong Kong, and it has worked and things are not falling apart there.
K Arumugam, secretariat member of rights group Suaram
We favour the day off but the government should not just wash its hands from the issue as there are other problems. For example, the process in which the maids are recruited.
They are treated as a commodity but they are here to perform a professional duty and should be treated as such.
The ministry should not compromise on human dignity and should do much more than the mandatory day off, such as looking into how agents make a killing while the maids are paid extremely low wages.
They can't be pushing for that (day off) and then at the same time promote agencies with high commissions.
"If you ask the employer, of course they would not want to give up on their benefits. But I think this reaction is racist because maids from the Philippines have their off-day.
"I am shocked at how inhuman we have become that we don't recognise them as human beings and that they need their day off," she told Malaysiakini today.Fernandez was responding to a survey conducted by The Star, where 75 percent of 769 respondents were against the proposal.
"We have taken them for granted and institutionalised abuse and violation. The government has been supporting the employers and allowing them to use domestic workers however they wish.
"There needs to be a change in the whole system," she stressed, adding that there is a prevalent fear among employers that if their maids are given an off-day, they might contract diseases or get pregnant.
Minister: We will push ahead
The government, on the other hand, has pledged to press ahead with its plan to enforce the mandatory day-off ruling despite the objections.
Human Resources Minister S Subramaniam told Malaysiakini that the ministry is mindful of the problems associated with the implementation of this policy. "But it should not be used as an excuse to deny domestic helpers their rights," he noted.
"By and large, we are aware that employers are generally not happy with the proposal… but these problems should not be a reason to deny them (domestic workers) their right," he said, adding that the right is granted in the Employment Act.
"It was delayed for a while so we decided to add that (clause) in when we were drafting new regulations," he elaborated.
Subramaniam also said that the response from the survey was expected.
"Employers generally react negatively to such suggestions. So if the survey respondents are mostly employers then you'll get a negative response.
"But if you ask human rights activists, they'll most likely agree with it (the policy)," said the minister.
What the others say about the survey:
Ivy Josiah, Women’s Aid Organisation executive director
There are three things to take note. First, is that no matter what the popular view is, the government should do the right thing, which is domestic workers have a right to a day off.The survey may just be a minority point of view. I have conducted my own personal survey within my circle of friends and they seem to be okay with the idea.
I think we need to be mature as there is an inherit suspicion among employers that their maid may run away and pick up 'bad habits'.
The policy has been implemented in other countries like Hong Kong, and it has worked and things are not falling apart there.
K Arumugam, secretariat member of rights group Suaram
We favour the day off but the government should not just wash its hands from the issue as there are other problems. For example, the process in which the maids are recruited. They are treated as a commodity but they are here to perform a professional duty and should be treated as such.
The ministry should not compromise on human dignity and should do much more than the mandatory day off, such as looking into how agents make a killing while the maids are paid extremely low wages.
They can't be pushing for that (day off) and then at the same time promote agencies with high commissions.
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