The whole culture of domestic helpers is one that is rather exclusive to Asian communities where labor is cheap and readily available. Only the wealthiest of the wealthy in the western world nations have maids and servants and butlers to provide service within the home which seems to create different dynamics as the ones we see in the market for domestic helpers in Malaysia.
I have to say that Indonesia's actions of late are mostly a matter of sovereignty and pride. They have always felt the same way about their girls coming over to Malaysia to work and have held the same opinion on working conditions for their citizens for a long time. Either because of their upcoming elections or their slight increase in global positioning (due in part to economic growth) they are becoming more assertive about their stand on the issue.
Malaysia on the other hand isn't on as clear a page as Indonesia is on the issue. There are those like Chua Soi Lek who support employers and their pessimistic view on maids. He says more maids come to run away and much fewer are abused; a statement that I interpret to suggest that we form a generalization of maids as the bad guys.
But the fact is this, maid abuse happens everywhere, if it isn't physical, it's emotional. I speak not from informed facts but from experience. Sure, I've not seen employers physically abuse maids but I've witnessed a fair share of maids treated as if they are of lower class because they are maids. I've seen typically nice people talk down to maids and yell at them for their mistakes. I've always been disgusted by it but at times I feel guilty that I don't speak up for the maids.
I don't know if I'm making too many assumptions based on my limited experiences but I am going out on a limb to say that I think Malaysian households very often treat their maids like a lower class and I think it stems from the fact that they do not trust maids and do not see them as equals worthy of respect but just labor for use.
The sad thing is that Malaysians more often than not don't realize that what they are doing is wrong. It is true that many many maids come over to run away and this has been the source of distrust among Malaysian employers. It is very costly to bring a maid over from Indonesia and when they run away that's that. The uproar over the ruling that maids be given a single day off a week, much less than what normal human beings deserves, suggest the kind of distrust within the entire foreign maid system within the country.
What needs to change, firstly, is the system. There is nothing wrong with the presence of maids in the country but the system cannot place liability fully on employers when maids run away because it creates the distrust that leads to limits on maids' freedom in general. More stringent processes need to be in place and maybe higher wages so that only the best of the best come over, not ever 16 or 17 year old wanting to run off with her boyfriend. That being said, I am no genius on the matter, all I can do is call for reform and hope the right people make the necessary changes so that the situation is addressed.
What I believe can be changed, however is our attitude towards domestic helpers in the country. My family has never had one but so many do and we've all been in contact with someone's maid before, somehow or other. Do we talk to them or ignore them? Do we treat them like peers and fellow humans, or do we assume their position is beneath ours? Do we stand up for them when they are ill treated, or do we shut up and accept the idea that maids get tongue lashings and that is the way the world works. If you own a maid, does she eat the same food you do, or do you withhold the expensive stuff because she is below you. Does she sleep in good conditions or crappy conditions because "at least it's better than where she came from". Does she work all day or do you give her time off like any other employee anywhere.
We do not realize but these young girls come over because life is hard where they are from. They come over, naive, alone and many ready to work for a living, yet because of the distrust within the entire system, they end up being treated like slaves and as Chua Soi Lek puts it, bad guys that want to run away. If you employ a maid, please realize that you are not just hiring them to work for you but with you in your home. When they live with you, at the very least, it should be within your moral realm to treat them like fellow human beings and not assume the worst of them.
It saddens me when I see children bossing maids around as if it is the normal thing to do, clearly a sign that parents are passing on such human rights violations to their children. If we can break down the disrepair in relationships between maids and employers than maybe they won't run away so much.
The whole system is flawed and I really don't know much about it, which explains why this post is all over the place. However, I do strongly believe that the whole market and system is a mess and more often than not, maids in Malaysia are treated like slaves. They aren't held to the same level of respect that regular employees receive let alone regular human beings and I urge everyone to stand up for them. They don't get paid exorbitant salaries and dear Malaysians, maids really are a luxury not a necessity expenditure for the household. Billions around the world survive without maids, so if you are unwilling to pay decent salaries, provide decent living conditions and treat them as normal human beings, then don't get one.
Apparently, something BIG is coming our way from Airasia. Maybe it's wishful thinking on my part, but it looks as if the words make out "North America." If they're starting flights to the US, I'd really like to be one of the first to buy a cheap flight home. :)
