Siti Hajar’s face — scarred with red blisters and scabs — told of the horror. For the past three years, the 33-year-old Indonesian domestic worker from West Java says she was abused by her Malaysian employer, being beaten, doused with boiling water and caned. In June, the ongoing violence finally landed her in a Kuala [...]

To remind you: The answers to the ILO’s questionnaire have to be sent in by the 30st of August. See for more information: http://en.domesticworkerrights.org/?q=node/56 The ILO is ‘tripartite’ which means that employers, governments and workers are represented in its structure. The questionnaire connected to this draft ‘Law and Practice Report’, will be answered by the [...]

With red blisters and scabs on her face and upper body, Siti Hajar fled her employer’s house and sought shelter at the Indonesian embassy in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, in June. Hajar told the media her female employer had hit her and poured boiling water over her and repeatedly beaten her with a cane [...]

25-27 August 2009 Jakarta, Indonesia Organised by Jala PRT and CAW More than 50 domestic workers groups and supporters from 10 districts gathered in Bogor, Indonesia to participate in a national training on advocacy organized by JALA PRT (National Network of Domestic Workers Advocacy) and supported by CAW. Representatives of the Asian Domestic Workers Network [...]

(New York) – Saudi Arabia’s Shura Council passed a bill on July 8, 2009, to improve legal protections for the estimated 1.5 million domestic workers in the country, but the measure still falls short of international standards, Human Rights Watch said today. The bill goes from the Shura Council, an appointed consultative body, to the [...]

KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 (Bernama) — Malaysia has agreed on four issues on Indonesian housemaids, namely one day off per week, insurance coverage, improving the standard contract, and monthly or regular salary payment. Human Resource Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said these were the only areas that both countries had agreed upon following discussions several [...]

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 [...]

WE MUST MOVE FORWARD WITH NO LESS THAN A HOLISTIC COMPREHENSIVE POLICY FOR EFFECTIVE PROTECTION OF DOMESTIC WORKERS. The Star Newspaper of Tuesday 7 July 2009, reported that the Senate was informed by the Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop that there were only a mere 7 reports made of “maid” abuses this [...]

PRESS RELEASE REPORTING BACK ON DECENT WORK FOR DOMESTIC WORKERS AT THE ILC GENEVA 2009 The National Union of Domestic Employees (NUDE) was represented by General Secretary Ida Le Blanc and Gillian Atwell (a member and Domestic Worker with twelve years of experience) at the International Labour Conference (ILC) at the invitation of the IUF [...]

A compulsory weekly day off for domestic workers in Malaysia is imperative to prevent abuse and forced labor, according to a Malaysian trade union and an Indonesian NGO concerned with the rights of migrant workers. Malaysia does not provide legal protection for domestic workers, be they Indonesians or Malaysians, for they are not considered workers [...]