Maid's Night Out
June 5th 2011 13:41
:
Family Maids
One aspect of Malaysian culture which is still difficult for me to comprehend is the employment and use of maids. At home families may employ a nanny to look after their children,especially if they have more than one. I have only known one person who had a nanny though, so to me it was not that common. In the US a maid would, in my mind, be a person who may clean the house or help with household chores. Here in Malysia a maid is a nanny, house cleaner, cook and overall servant.In other words a maid is a slave.
Most maids employed here in Malaysia are from Indonesia. Until very recently maids worked 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, with no time off. The employer usually holds the passport and controls the maids bank account. The average salary for an Indonesian maid is RM 500 to RM550, about $170 a month. There have been numerous incidents of abuse and assault committed by employers upon their maids. An agreement was just reached between the Malaysian and Indonesian authorities where maids now get one day a week off, keep their own pasport and have their wages paid directly into their bank account. Indonesia is asking for a minimum wage of RM800 ($370) to be paid. As of now there has been no agreement on this issue.
What really shocked me in regards to maids, was how they were treated as restaurants. At home most adults enjoy dining alone, without the children, at nicer restaurants. I have never seen a nanny accompany the family, except for maybe at a fast food restaurant or so called family friendly restaurants. Here it is common to see the whole family eating out with the maid,even in the higher end restaurants. The maid always has the child or children in tow, with the parents usually not paying too mcuh attention to the kids. Many times I see everyone in the group eating, except for the maid. I have seen, however, some families assuring that the maid had a meal too. The worst incident I observed was at a local upscale restaurant where a family comprised of parents, grandparents, 2 small obnoxious acting children and a maid, sat next to me and my party. It was an extremely hot day and the waitress made sure that cold water was served immediately. When the waitress gave the maid a glass of water the mother became irate, causing a very noticeable scene, and demanded that the waitress take the water away. I felt so sorry for the poor maid who had to sit, without food or water, minding the children, whil;e everyone else made pigs of themselves during the whole meal.
I still am shocked when I see situations, where the entire family eats and the maid gets nothing. Maybe it is part of the culture here, but it is one thing I don't think I can ever accept. All people, regardless of economics status, race, creed, etc, should be treated like human beings.
Most maids employed here in Malaysia are from Indonesia. Until very recently maids worked 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, with no time off. The employer usually holds the passport and controls the maids bank account. The average salary for an Indonesian maid is RM 500 to RM550, about $170 a month. There have been numerous incidents of abuse and assault committed by employers upon their maids. An agreement was just reached between the Malaysian and Indonesian authorities where maids now get one day a week off, keep their own pasport and have their wages paid directly into their bank account. Indonesia is asking for a minimum wage of RM800 ($370) to be paid. As of now there has been no agreement on this issue.
What really shocked me in regards to maids, was how they were treated as restaurants. At home most adults enjoy dining alone, without the children, at nicer restaurants. I have never seen a nanny accompany the family, except for maybe at a fast food restaurant or so called family friendly restaurants. Here it is common to see the whole family eating out with the maid,even in the higher end restaurants. The maid always has the child or children in tow, with the parents usually not paying too mcuh attention to the kids. Many times I see everyone in the group eating, except for the maid. I have seen, however, some families assuring that the maid had a meal too. The worst incident I observed was at a local upscale restaurant where a family comprised of parents, grandparents, 2 small obnoxious acting children and a maid, sat next to me and my party. It was an extremely hot day and the waitress made sure that cold water was served immediately. When the waitress gave the maid a glass of water the mother became irate, causing a very noticeable scene, and demanded that the waitress take the water away. I felt so sorry for the poor maid who had to sit, without food or water, minding the children, whil;e everyone else made pigs of themselves during the whole meal.
I still am shocked when I see situations, where the entire family eats and the maid gets nothing. Maybe it is part of the culture here, but it is one thing I don't think I can ever accept. All people, regardless of economics status, race, creed, etc, should be treated like human beings.
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