FOREIGN DOMESTIC WORKERS (Complaints on ill-treatment and abuse)

Mr Thomas Thomas asked the Minister for Manpower if he will give figures of complaints received for the last two years on ill-treatment and abuse of foreign domestic workers in Singapore and state the actions taken by the authorities in addressing these complaints.

The Minister for Manpower (Dr Lee Boon Yang): Mr Speaker, Sir, in 1997, the Singapore Police Force recorded 157 substantiated cases of foreign domestic worker abuse. In 1998, the number of substantiated abuse cases reported by foreign domestic workers dropped to 89 cases and in 1999, it fell further to 82 cases.

Members will recall that in May 1998, the Penal Code was amended to enhance penalties by 1.5 times for offences committed against foreign domestic workers by the employer or members of the employer's household. This appeared to have helped to reduce the number of cases of foreign domestic worker abuse.

There are more than 100,000 foreign domestic workers working in Singapore. The number of cases of abuse or ill treatment is only a small proportion of the total number of foreign domestic workers working here. The vast majority of foreign domestic workers in Singapore are generally well-treated and enjoy a happy and rewarding working relationship with their employers. This is evident from the fact that Singapore continues to attract an increasing number of foreign domestic workers and many of them have in fact decided to extend their work permits beyond the normal two-year term.

Mr Thomas Thomas (Nominated Member): I would just like to ask the Minister: is there a problem with domestic maids not complying with the terms of their work permit and therefore we have to send them off? What I am saying is that since the problem with employers is so small, what about the problems of the domestic maids themselves? Are there any significant problems?

Dr Lee Boon Yang: Sir, I believe that the Member is referring to the group of foreign domestic workers who either take off from their employer's household and moonlight on their own in other occupations or are deployed by the employer to work in some other occupations. Let me assure the Member that while this problem exists and that, from time to time, my Ministry's enforcement officers come across such cases and take action against them, both employers and employees, the number of cases is small. It is not a growing problem. We are continuing to educate employers of foreign domestic workers on their responsibility, not only on the welfare part about treating the foreign domestic workers well and caring for them, but also to remind employers that they should not deploy them to work outside the household, whether it is to help out the employer in the hawker stall or in the provision shop in the neighbourhood. Such duties are obviously not part of the domestic duties of the foreign domestic worker and employers should refrain from sending their foreign domestic workers to work in such occupations. If they do and if they are caught, they face fairly severe penalties.