SINGAPORE: A foreign domestic helper shared on social media that she had to sleep in a storeroom so ‘narrow’ that she could not stand up in it.
In a Facebook group for domestic helpers, a netizen asked: “Hi. May I check with you, do all helpers get their own to sleep? There are some employers who might not have too many rooms. How do you manage and what kind of accommodations are provided in that circumstances?”
Most of the helpers who responded to the post said that they did not have their own rooms to sleep in, with a few having to share rooms with the elderly in the house or their employers’ children. Others said they had to sleep in the living room or even in the kitchen.
Here’s what they said:
Earlier this year, another maid took to social media stating that she would not accept any job if she had to share a room with children. Others stated that they would not accept a job from any employer who could not give them a private space to sleep in.
Helpers had various answers and responses to an employer who asked other helpers what they would do if they did not have their own room to sleep in. “How does your employer arrange your sleeping arrangements? What is your opinions on such arrangements. Especially if employer unable to afford a bigger house, thus no extra room but badly need help cuz have children?” the woman wrote.