Exploitative Conditions

Physical, psychological and sexual abuse
Domestic workers in private households are at greater risk of facing such abuses because of the isolated nature of the job and the power imbalance between the employer and the worker. The government of Singapore has set a positive example by increasing the criminal penalties for physical and sexual abuses against domestic workers in recognition of the vulnerability of their position, and widely publicizing cases to raise greater awareness

Verbal abuse—harsh insults, threats and belittlement—reinforces employers’ domination and control over domestic workers, making them less likely to resist or seek redress for abusive employment conditions. Such abuses often come with threats to of repatriation---a frightening prospect for a domestic worker who may have paid huge sums of money to work in the country.

Sexual violence-- can range from propositions, threats of rape, and groping, to repeated rape. Isolation and the lack of privacy in the home increase a domestic worker’s vulnerability. It is highly likely that such cases often go unreported because of the social stigma attached to sexual assault

Food Deprivation
Withholding of food, insufficient food or poor quality of food is another form of abuse. It also reinforces the inferior status of domestic workers in the household. Some are forced to steal food or have to rely on the kindness of neighbours and other domestic workers just so they can feed themselves. Food deprivation stems from an employer’s failure to consider what constitutes ‘proper food’. Some domestic workers are given only bread to eat, or are left with packets of instant noodles.

High agency fees
Employment agencies typically charge migrant domestic workers a recruitment fee and these can range from between S$1,200 and S$2,100. Most domestic workers are unable to pay such large fees. Hence, domestic workers reach agreements with agents and employers to give their first several months of pay to the agency. This is usually called a ‘loan’ that the agency gives to the worker. Such ‘loans’ can take between 4-8 months to clear. During this period, the domestic worker is allowed only $10-$20 a month while she pays off these ‘loans’. Domestic workers from the Philippines and Sri Lanka also borrow money to pay initial medical and passport fees, sometimes mortgaging their land. In addition to the recruitment fees that they pay to the agencies here, many domestic workers also have to pay the agents in their countries of origin before securing a job in the destination country.

Restrictions on freedom of movement/No rest days
Migrant domestic workers in countries around the world are also confined and controlled by their employers. Their passports and immigration documents are often withheld from them and they are not allowed to leave the house. Some are not even allowed to contact their families and friends through the telephone, depriving them of access to much needed social support. Employers also prohibit them from talking to neighbours and socializing with others. As a day off for domestic workers is not mandatory, there are many who do not have the opportunity to leave their place of employment to seek help should abuses occur.

There are many reasons for employers’ restrictions of their worker’s movements. These are some of them:

1) Fear that domestic workers will ‘run away’

2) Fear that domestic workers will be subjected to bad influence and engage in unwholesome activities

3) Fear that domestic workers will slacken in their work if they are given a day off

4) Fear that domestic workers will become pregnant

Some employers will claim that there is no need for a domestic worker to go on a day off because they are brought on outings together with their employers. Others say as they are hardly at home, the worker can do what she wants and that their house work budern is only very light.

Exclusion from main labour legislation
Most countries around the world exclude domestic workers from labour legislation. This is despite the fact that most of them work long hours (14-16hours a day) performing physically demanding work such as cleaning, cooking, gardening, looking after the elderly, babies and children. They are not paid over time, nor are they entitled to a minimum wage. Their wages are decided by market forces and by the goodwill of their employers and labour agents. As a result, this puts them in a vulnerable position for abuse and exploitation.

Wage withholding/deductions
Some domestic workers are also not allowed to hold on to their salaries and are only paid after they have finished their contract. Employers also hold on to their wages in case the worker chooses to terminate the contract pre-maturely. The money withheld is then used to purchase an air ticket. This becomes unfair when workers terminate contracts because their employers have been abusive. Some employers also deduct their already meagre wages for mistakes that are made (e.g. breaking glass)

Access to health
Lack of health insurance, inadequate wages, and separation from social support networks leave most domestic workers dependent on their employers for medical care. Getting proper medical care becomes difficult, especially if the employer refuses to let a worker out to see a doctor. Paying for treatment becomes a further problem, especially during the first few months of employment when many workers are still financing their agency fees. Many workers are also expected to continue working when they are sick.

Termination of contracts
It is not uncommon to find workers being forcefully repatriated or have their work permits cancelled without any prior notice form their employers. Some domestic workers receive the news of their termination only on the day of departure of their flight. Employers do this because they are afraid that their workers will ‘run away’