SINGAPORE: A domestic helper in Singapore has claimed she suffered emotional distress after months of alleged privacy violations, constant surveillance, and verbal abuse from her employer.
Posting anonymously in the SINGAPORE TRANSFER (No Fees/SD), DIRECT HIRE & NEW HELPER Facebook group, the helper said her “lady employer”—whom she described as a “perfectionist with high standards”—would regularly check her phone and read her private messages.
“She checks my phone to see who I’m talking to. She reads my messages and all.”
The helper also claimed that on her rest days, she had no “peace or freedom” as her employer would repeatedly contact her to ask where she was, who she was with, and which places she had visited.
Beyond invading her privacy, she said that her employer would also tell her husband “fake stories” about her, constantly “scold her,” and at one point even began “pushing her away.”
“This gave me trauma,” the helper said, adding that she had been a “happy person” when she first joined the household seven months ago and had even developed a close relationship with their three-year-old daughter, but claimed everything changed after the “lady employer” started mistreating her.
“They deducted 4 months”
On top of the alleged mistreatment, the helper said she faced salary deduction issues after arriving in Singapore.
“I had a 3-month deduction from the agency, but when I came to Singapore, they deducted 4 months, so I didn’t have a salary for 4 months.”
She also claimed that when her mother passed away, her employers told her she could return home, but said all travel expenses would be deducted from her salary.
“They told me to go home to see my mum, but all the expenses would be deducted from my salary, so I insisted I would not go home and would just send money to them. I didn’t ask for money from them,” she wrote.
“They don’t want to release me”
In an update, the helper said her employers were refusing to allow her to transfer to another employer.
“They don’t want to release me, and I asked for help from the agency, but they didn’t help me.”
“Better leave them”
In the comments, netizens strongly urged the helper to move out of the household for the sake of her mental health.
One wrote, “Working without trust and you getting into mentally and stressful situations, better move out. There is no peace of mind, and it’s hard to work with these kinds of people.
Another commented, “Report them to MOM, sister; they shouldn’t be going through your phone. That’s our privacy.”
A third added, “Better leave them; there are so many good employers in SG. Don’t stress yourself, sister.”
For domestic helpers in distress, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) advises them to contact the police at 999 if they are in immediate danger, or call the MDW Helpline at 1800 339 5505 (Mon–Fri, 8:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.).
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