The State Court of Singapore slammed 39 year-old local actor with seven counts of molestation for sexually assaulting his maid and another charge for insulting her modesty.
Twenty-seven year old domestic helper, whose name cannot be divulged to protect her identity, also accused her Singaporean employer with kneading his genitals against her head, using his foot to touch her private parts and caressing her thigh. The maid further alleged that the abuses began September 2016 and were done several times. Another allegation was that she caught him peeping at her while she was in the shower.
However, by December 19, 2018 (Wednesday), all eight charges against the local actor have been withdrawn during the first trial date set for the case.
The charges were withdrawn after alleged victim and the accused have settled the matter outside the court through other means which could mean monetary compensation or an apology.
It was not elaborated on how the case was settled out of court. Following settlement, the local actor thanked Allah for allegedly saving him from disgrace and expressed gratitude for the outcome of the legal issue.
According to a study conducted by the Research Across Borders, no less than 90% of the workers in Singapore work excessive hours while more than a third have miserable living conditions, very low salary or no salary at all. Among the respondents, 84% said they worked more than 12 hours daily and 41% said they were made to work even on their rest days.
A number of thse interviewed said they were compelled to massage their employer and some said they were monitored by surveillance cameras while working which means they don’t have privacy even during personal time.
Research Across Borders Director Anja Wessels told CNN she was “shocked” by the extent of the report’s findings, saying they were just the “the tip of the iceberg.”
In a statement, Wessels said “These women mainly endure these situations out of economic stress … in one third of the cases in our study, the worker was the only bread winner in their family, which means if they do not work and send money back home, they will threaten the survival of their family.”
In Asia, Singapore is the 2nd largest employer of documented foreign domestic workers, typically young women from Indonesia and the Philippines.