Siti Hajar Sadli’s alleged abuse at the hands of her boss triggered an outcry in Indonesia. Jakarta reacted by calling for a review of the MoU on migrant workers and enforcing a temporary maid ban. With polls nearing, political parties are eager to resolve the issue, writes AMY CHEW. WHEN pictures of Indonesian domestic helper Siti Hajar Sadli’s badly bruised and scalded face were first splashed in the local papers, there was huge public outrage.

Hajar, 33, had allegedly been caned and scalded by her Malaysian employer, Hau Yuan Tyung, for whom she had worked for three years until her escape on June 8 with the help of a taxi driver.

Hajar’s injuries were horrific. Both Malaysians and Indonesians were appalled.

For Indonesians, though, Hajar’s suffering was yet another sign of Malaysian arrogance and callousness, more so as it came on the heels of Manohara Odelia Pinot’s alleged abuse by her husband, Kelantan royal prince Tengku Temenggong Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra.

Hundreds of people demonstrated outside the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta over the alleged abuse meted out to Siti Hajar and Manohara. Angry comments filled Indonesian newspapers, websites and airwaves. “That country (Malay-sia) is uncivilised,” wrote an Indonesian blogger.

“I want to know why the Indonesian government doesn’t prohibit agencies from sending Indonesian maids to Malaysia. What is more important, money or pride?” a reader wrote to the Jakarta Post.

Hau, 43, has been charged in court and faces up to 20 years in jail. She denies the charges.

Indonesian public outrage and the local media’s zealous coverage of every Malaysian employer’s “cruelty” is nothing new. But in an election year, the anger rings particularly loudly in the ears of the political parties.

In response, Indonesia temporarily halted sending domestic helpers to Malaysia, effective June 26, pending a review of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on migrant workers.

The move was as much an effort to seek greater protection for migrant workers as to soothe public anger.

“We support the government’s move to temporarily stop sending workers to Malaysia to give a chance for Indonesia and Malaysia to improve the MoU to give better protection to migrant workers,” said Anis Hidayah, chairman of Migrant Care, a migrant workers’ rights body.

Among the key points Indonesia wants rescinded is the right of employers to retain a domestic worker’s passport.

Indonesia also wants the MoU to acknowledge domestic workers’ right to wage increases, regular salaries, days off and holidays.

Recognition is also sought of the domestic worker’s right to educate her children and practise her religion.

Protecting migrant workers, particularly domestic helpers, is the responsibility of both Indonesia and the host country. Malaysia must ensure that basic rights to domestic helpers, including days off, contracts and a minimum wage, are strictly enforced to prevent exploitation.

Indonesian migrant workers, on the other hand, must be made aware of their rights and hone their skills in their own country before leaving to work in a foreign land.

“Most of these women are not taught their rights or how to look after themselves,” says Yulienzah, vice-chairman of Scala Brini Migrant Solidarity.

“If someone hits them or doesn’t pay their salaries, these women don’t know where to go.”

Yulienzah herself was once a migrant worker in Hong Kong and speaks fluent Cantonese. During their training with labour agencies, migrant workers are often told to simply “defer to their employers”, she says.

“They are not taught how to communicate properly. They don’t know how to express themselves if they don’t understand their employers’ instructions.”

The Association of Indonesian Labour Exporters has appealed to Malaysian employers to treat their maids humanely. “They go to Malaysia to earn a living. Please don’t torture or ill-treat them. They are humans too,” said Yunus Yamani, the association’s chairman.

“If you are not satisfied with their work, just return them to their agency,” he said. “That way, no one gets hurt and Malaysia’s name will not be tarnished.”

The migrant worker contributes greatly to Indonesia’s economy. Last year, migrant workers remitted a US$8.2 billion (RM30 billion) to the country. At the Jakarta airport arrival terminal, a special lane for returning migrant workers is marked with a huge sign saying “Foreign Currency Warrior”.

Their earnings enable them to put their children through school, build permanent homes for their families, pay medical bills and set up their own businesses.

Much of Indonesia’s physical, social and economic landscape has been transformed by the toil of migrant workers. Of six million Indonesian workers abroad, 65 per cent work as domestic helpers and are mostly women.

In Malaysia, out of 1.2 million registered Indonesian workers, 300,000 work as domestic helpers. Prior to the moratorium, Indonesia was sending 3,000 domestic helpers to Malaysia a month. These women hail from villages in the rural provinces of Indonesia. Many leave their children and husbands in search of a better life for their families.

In a culture of close family ties, the separation places great emotional strain on them. They are poorly educated; most had never seen a big city prior to their departure for foreign lands.

Many are exploited even before they leave the country. Typically, a migrant worker is brought from the provinces to Jakarta or other major cities, and stays in a holding house provided by a labour agency.

There, they are taught housekeeping skills and how to use electrical appliances before being sent off to their host countries. Many agencies then charge the women exorbitant sums for the temporary lodgings, food, documentation and other services.

“The agencies take so much money from a worker,” says Yulienzah. “When I was a migrant worker in Hong Kong, I had my salary cut for seven months to pay back my agent HK$35,000 (RM15,000) for all kinds of so-called expenses,” she said.

“I later found out from my Chinese employer that she had paid for my air tickets, passport and documentation. She was horrified I had to pay so much money to the agent.”

Despite the money agencies make from workers, they seldom look after the workers’ welfare. “I have never once seen a labour agent jailed for the violations they commit,” said Yulienzah.