A foreign domestic worker held to ransom by her employer took to social media asking others for help and advice.
In a post to Facebook group FDW in Singapore (working conditions forum), the helper said that she had been working with her current employers for three years. After her 2-year contract was over, she asked to be transferred to another household but was told no by her employer who threatened to send her back to Indonesia.
She wrote that she was initially working for a family of five but the wife and children ran away from home, taking her with them. In their new house, she was made to cook “3x everyday untill saturday, cleaning house, do laundry, buy groceries, wash car, and take care of them, also my mdm always ask me to cook for party, last party for 32 people with 8 menu all by myself nobody help me even for small thing”.
The children fought amongst themselves every day and she wrote that the last time two of them fought, she injured her toes trying to stop them. Despite there being a lot of blood from the injury, her employer declined to bring her to a doctor.
Because of the stress levels she faced, she did not want to work for the family anymore. However, her employer said that she would not release the maid, not even in two months. “she said everything is up to her, and say she will sy bad things about me so all employers dont want me anymore”, the maid added, fearing the consequences should her employer badmouth her and make her unemployable.
In her post, she asked others in the group for advice on what to do. Netizens who commented said that the helper had three choices – call the Manpower Ministry (MOM) and ask for help, go back home to Indonesia and come back to find another employer after resting, or try and talk to her employer.
Here’s what they said: Â 
