A 16-year-old boy has been charged in a court with abusing his family's Indonesian maid, local media said today.

The boy, whose identity has been witheld because of his age, is alleged to have caused hurt to Misriani Muntono, 36, with a sofa leg and a cigarette lighter at his home in Penang on two occasions, the Bernama news agency said.

Magistrate Priscilla Rajan fixed bail at RM2,000, it said. The trial has been fixed for July 29.

If found guilty, he could be jailed for up to three years or fined or whipped or any two of the punishments, it said.

The case comes as a wealthy Malaysian housewife faces trial in what has been described as the worst maid abuse case seen in the country.

Pictures of the maid, 19-year-old Indonesian Nirmala Bonet, allegedly repeatedly burnt with an iron across her breasts, beaten and scalded with boiling water, provoked an outcry in Malaysia and calls for harsh punishment for her tormentor.

Some 100,000 Indonesian maids work in Malaysia. They receive a mere RM380 a month and many are forced to work from sunrise to sunset with little legal protection. - AFP