by Lauren Betts

Singapore American School

2009

1,888 words

The issue of domestic violence in the world is especially significant to Singapore because it is closely located to the Philippines, and it is said that around 150,000 women work as maids in Singapore coming from Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka (BBC News, paragraph 4). However, with that said, “Every year an estimated two million Asian women migrate to other countries to seek work, primarily as a family survival strategy.” (Day Off Campaign) “…each woman departing with the same aim, to escape a life of poverty.” (Maid Trade – Singapore YouTube 00:30-00:35) These women coming into Singapore are usually between the ages of 18 and older searching for better employment. On average, statistics show that domestic workers in Singapore work between 13 and 17 hours a day, seven days a week and unless permitted to, they are never to leave the household. Compared to other similar jobs in Singapore, such as gardening and cleaning, maids are forced to give part of their salaries to employment agencies for up to ten months! (Migrant Domestic Workers, paragraph 3) The heart-wrenching fact of the matter is that thousands of these domestic workers are being brutally abused every day and little to nothing is being done about it in Singapore. It has gotten to the point that these ill-fated maids are resulting to worse things: “Between 1999 and 2005, at least 147 migrant domestic workers died from workplace accidents or suicide, most by jumping or falling from residential buildings.” (Migrant Domestic Workers, paragraph 3) This is something that, in my opinion, is heard a lot throughout Singapore and people don’t like it but continue to just sit there and read about it. Yes there are resources for these women to run to but more action needs to be done to prevent this.

As stated before, there is a large, obvious legal implication about the issue of domestic violence in Singapore. Yes, laws have been created, discussed and encouraged about domestic violence over the years; nonetheless, the horrific problem is still alive and active in Singapore and hardly any real impact on the matter has resulted recently. To start off, Singapore has no minimum wage (Migrant Workers Singapore, paragraph 16). This leaves it entirely up to the employers, agencies and individual workers to decide how much money is going to be written on a maid’s contract. Keep in mind that that also include the fine print. On that same contract includes the amount of days off the domestic worker is allowed. When discussed among the Singapore government, “Ironically, securing one day off a month was regarded as a big achievement when the standard contract was announced in July 2006. But the trouble is that maids can be compensated in cash for working on their day off - a loophole many are happy to exploit.” (Migrant Workers Singapore, paragraph 13) “Contracts now in use also vary in their terms and conditions, with some guaranteeing one day off a week and others giving employers the option to choose only one day off a month. Such contracts even allow employers to deny a domestic worker her day off completely through a monetary compensation of $15-$20…” Said an informational introduction about the Day Off Campaign in Singapore. The Singaporean government knows well of the occurring issue and the treachery these women are continuously going through, yet still claim that the reports “grossly exaggerate” the situation. I don’t think the situation is being exaggerated, I think it’s being overlooked and the government is being lazy about the issue. (BBC News, paragraph 2) A statement that horrified me most when I read it was this “Singapore’s main labor laws, the Employment Act and the Workmen’s Compensation Act, exclude domestic workers from their protections.” (Day Off Campaign) This needs to change immediately. These women deserve to be protected and included in the Employment Act, especially after hearing about the occurrences.

It is inevitable that these poor women who are battered and bruised day after day and tortured in ways that sometimes are inhumane are going to suffer severe psychological damage. The psychological implication of domestic violence is largely overlooked which leads to even worse outcomes. And it is undeniable that this horrific abuse that they experience has lead to hundreds of suicide cases. This cruelty has lead to other life changing outcomes, including: lethargy, aggression, self-loathing, suicide attempts, confusion, self-abuse, depression, full-blown psychoses, and hallucinations (Global Woman, page 221). With that said, women who end up in shelters and counseling after going to abuse suffer from these disorders. For these women who endure traumatic, life altering abuse, there aren’t enough resources for them to turn to in Singapore. Luckily there are a few sources that exist but are granted little publicity and gratitude. “The Singaporean Government funds shelters and local NGOs, provides counseling, health care, physical security, and skills development programs for abused foreign domestic workers and victims of sexual exploitation. The Ministry of Manpower has a hotline for foreign domestic workers. Singapore does not provide legal alternatives to victims who face hardship or retribution in their home country.” (Human Trafficking, paragraph 5)

The third and final social implication about domestic violence in Singapore is the most significant of all three: the cultural implication. For decades, Singapore has been a very well run island, built up by rules and standards that are very rarely argued against. In my opinion, it is nice that the city is organized and things always run smoothly, but when it comes to the point that in order for things to run smoothly people aren’t allowed to speak up about their opinion, is not acceptable. Today, the culture in Singapore remains the same, quiet, organized, structured country that sees little to no riots, freedom of speech or publicized actions against anything. This quiet natured government that is built up of people who don’t dare defy it is related to the issue of domestic abuse today because there are only few (seemingly powerless) organizations in Singapore who can make any sort of impact on preventing domestic violence. The traditional society in Asia as whole is quiet…which leads to it to be especially difficult to voice about the continuing issue. Women who experience these ongoing abuses are put in very difficult positions to report their experiences because it puts them at “risk of rights violations during recruitment, placement and employment, are often in situations that prevent them from reporting abuses”. The issue is also multilayered – it is not just a matter of legislation and prosecution. According to HRW, some of the factors contributing to the complexity of the issue are “the lack of reporting mechanisms, the private nature of work, the lack of legal protections, and restrictions on freedom of movement of domestic workers”. (Migrant Domestic Workers in Singapore, paragraph 4).The sickening matter is continuing today, all around us and is yet to be put to an end. It is extremely difficult to make a difference as large as one that needs to take place for this issue; however, it is one that needs to happen and now.

The primary solution that most Singaporean government officials will bring to the table when concerning the issue of domestic abuse is the numerous organizations in Singapore and Southeast Asia aiding domestic violence cases. Examples of these include a helpline run by the Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics, also known as HOME, a migrant-workers group which gets around 300 calls per month from maids in Singapore. (Migrant Workers Singapore, paragraph 7). Another organization working towards the benefit of domestic violence victims is the Transient Workers Count. An association called The Family Court has made protection of victims priority, unlike the Employment Act. The Family Court provides expedited police officers within 24 hours to help anyone in serious physical harm. (Domestic Violence in Singapore, page 4). On top of these few associations I have mentioned, “Singapore does not have a law specific to anti-trafficking, however, it has many laws to prosecute, protect, and prevent human trafficking, specifically the Women’s Charter, the Children and Young Persons’ Act, and the Penal Code.” (Human Trafficking, paragraph 3). After all of these current solutions that already exist today for domestic violence victims, there are a few solutions, in my opinion, that could do the trick. It has been clarified that domestic workers are forced to pay their employment agencies for up to ten months of their salary, that policy could easily be lessened substantially or thrown away all together and substituted by something else. A second solution, which seems highly understandable, would be to include domestic workers in the Employment Act. These workers deserve the attention. It does make me happy to hear the fact that when two populations were analyzed, one from ten years ago and one from present day, that the awareness of these victims and need for social help and services has drastically increased. (Domestic Violence in Singapore, page 4)

Hundreds of women are migrating into Singapore constantly, and all for the same reasons: to escape poverty, earn money for their families and for survival. They go through employment agencies and are placed with families who are, if they’re lucky, humane; however, on a regular basis, these domestic workers are placed with families who perform horrific acts and go unpunished. These occurrences are happening all around us and little has been done or is being done to prevent this from happening. It will continue to happen to domestic workers everyday, and not just in Singapore, but throughout the rest of the world. Organizations need to grow, earn respect and truly make big steps towards ending this continuing horror placed in front of thousands of domestic workers.

(Online) News Related Article: Domestic Violence in Singapore
C L Foo, . "Domestic violence in Singapore: a ten year comparison of victim profile." 46.2 (2005): 69-73. Web. 14 Sep 2009. <http://www.sma.org.sg/smj/4602/4602a2.pdf>.
Foo has written several articles for the Singapore Medical Association and provided solid references for all of her work which proves to the reader that her work is reliable and strong.
The intended audience for this article is to local Singaporeans who are determined to make a difference in Singapore and lend a hand and speak up about medical and health concerns.
This work illuminates my bibliography topic because is gives a lot of really good statistics for me to use, as well as a good comparison of how things were ten years ago and how they are similar/different today.


(Online) Campaign Website: Day Off Campaign
"Day Off Campaign ."UNIFEM2008: n. pag. Web. 21 Sep 2009. <http://www.dayoff.sg/>.
UNIFEM is a non-profit organization in Singapore that is working to equalize the rights of women, leaning towards education, employment and gender equality. The organization has been very productive and active in Singapore and is well known and is one of the most well known organizations in Singapore.
The intended audience for this campaign website is mostly Singaporeans who are aware of the domestic abuse issue in Singapore and how it is growing and are willing to make a difference and are connected to UNIFEM in Singapore and have heard about their campaigns.
This campaign will illuminate my bibliography because it will serve as an example of the action taking place in Singapore to help the issue and how people are reacting towards this campaign and how successful it has been so far.
Print: Global Woman

Ehrenreich , Hochschild Russell Arlie.Global Woman. 1st edition. London, EN: Granta Books, 2002. Print.
Both authors, Ehrenreich and Hochschild are very well acclaimed writers who have contributed to Time, Harper’s, New Republic and even more.
The audience intended for this book is definitely global people who are discovering more about local employment in the world and hearing about the impossibility of living on minimum wage in the USA. Probably readers who are experiencing the hardships of living off of minimum wage and can sympathize with what he authors are writing.
This book illuminates by human rights topic because it supplies good examples of what I am researching. It talks about everything from Vietnamese mail-order brides, to Thai girl in Japanese brothels. It writes about specific stories of women under harsh circumstances and emphasizes the need for more help on this issue.
Newsbank Database
Radha Basu, . "Relook maids' pay and benefits - Standard contract not enough to ensure fair treatment for foreign help."Singapore Straits Times30 July 2009, Print.
The author, Radha Basu, is the Senior Correspondent for the Singapore Straits Times which is a very well acclaimed newspaper, so I trust the authority of Basu.
The intended audience for this information is local Singaporeans. Either your everyday citizen or preferably a person living in Singapore (who doesn’t necessarily have to be Singaporean) who is looking for ways to give back and help those in need.
This work illuminates my bibliography topic because is provides a very descriptive example of what is going on in Singapore related to domestic abuse and shows the reader how likely it is for anyone in Singapore to witness a person who has experienced domestic abuse and its affect on you.
Online Journal Article: Migrant Domestic Workers in Singapore
a.) Rochelle Jones, . "MIGRANT DOMESTIC WORKERS IN SINGAPORE."Association for Women's Rights in Development(2008): n. pag. Web. 14 Sep 2009. http://awid-org.sitepreview.ca/eng/Issues-and-Analysis/Library/Migrant-Domestic-Workers-in-Singapore.
Rochelle Jones has worked for the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) for several years and has written numerous articles. She stated all of her references clearly for the reader and explained herself well.
The intended audience for this article is women in Singapore who have suffered from domestic abuse/sexual abuse/slavery, etc and want to speak up about it, or read about how to find help. Also to people in Singapore who want to help women who have suffered from abuse.
This journal article illuminates my bibliography topic because it is a good resource to refer back to that really emphasizes women’s rights in Singapore which is unique to the other sources I am using. This article really provides a good organization for women who have been abused/witnessed abuse in Singapore to refer to which is a good topic to include in my project.
(Online) Web Resource: Human Trafficking
"Singapore."HumanTrafficking2001: n. pag. Web. 21 Sep 2009. <http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/singapore>.

humantrafficking.org is a web resource for combating human trafficking and is working with not only Singapore but also the rest of Southeast Asia. The organization provides information on what is happening in each country, what the solutions are and what factors are preventing this issue from being solved.
The intended audience for this website is people who are related somehow to any of the Southeast Asian countries listed and are interested in the issues going on there and are involved in helping the different agencies that are working with each country.
This website organization will illuminate my bibliography because it is another good example of what is provided in the world for helping people who are related to my human rights issue topic.
(Online) BBC News Article: Singapore Accused of Maid Neglect
"Singapore accused of maid neglect."BBC NEWSn. pag. Web. 21 Sep 2009. <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4502046.stm>.
BBC News is a well acclaimed news company known throughout the globe. Writing, advertising, videotaping, broadcasting news about issues all over the world.
The intended audience for this news article is people who live in Singapore or are somehow related to Singapore and are interested in the ongoing issue of domestic abuse and want to learn more about the current state of the issue.
This article will illuminate my bibliography topic by supplying more evidence of how this issue is very well publicized throughout the world and how people are reacting to it.
YouTube Video: The Maid Trade – Singapore
"The Maid Trade-Singapore."Journeyman Pictures12 February, 2008: n. pag. Web. 21 Sep 2009. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6kqvZx1Bzw>.
Journeyman Pictures is a company that advertises about abuse in Southeastern Asia, they have created several other videos about issues in Southeast Asia and have also written articles and documents on these issues for the public.
The intended audience for this YouTube video is anyone researching anything related to documentaries about women in Southeast Asia being abused or traded, as well as people researching about Singapore’s government which is very popular.
This work illuminates my bibliography topic because it has several clips in the video that I can use as well as quotes from maids and government related people and gives many statistics related to my topic.