A woman who pleaded guilty last month to physically abusing her helper from 2017 to 2018 was slapped on Monday (May 30) with a S$1,000 fine and a five-month jail sentence.
Thirty-five-year-old Zhao Lin, who was working as a nurse at the time when the helper was employed by her, would sometimes even hit the maid in the presence of Zhao’s young son, who was only four years old. Zhao would also at times take away between $100 to $200 a month from the helper’s salary of $500, and even hurled the helper’s phone to the ground, destroying it.
On Apr 4, she pleaded guilty to four counts of voluntarily causing hurt and one of mischief. Four additional charges were considered for sentencing, CNA reported.
The helper, Ma Ei, now 29, arrived in Singapore in 2016 at the age of 23 and worked for Zhao, taking care of the household and Zhao’s son. She worked long days, getting up at 6:30 am and sleeping at midnight.
But the physical abuse began in 2017, which was the same time that Zhao would cut the helper’s pay when she broke a plate or made other similar mistakes.
Whenever Zhao was dissatisfied with how Ms Ma Ei did the chores or felt that she had a bad attitude, she would hit the helper.
But things came to a head-on on Aug 25, 2018. On that day, Zhao got upset with Ms Ma Ei, claiming that the helper had not put her son’s toys away properly.
She then slapped the maid ten times on her cheeks, so hard that Ms Ma Ei had to step back due to the strength of the blows, The Straits Times reported.
“I will do it until you are really, really scared,” Zhao told the helper after slapping her.
The woman’s violence that day shocked Zhao’s son, who asked his mum why she hit the helper.
Ms Ma Ei reported Zhao’s abusive behaviour by calling the police at around 5:15 pm.
Netizens strongly condemned Zhao’s treatment of Ms Ma Ei, with some even suggesting the possibility of a caning.
Others called it a shame and a poor example that she abused the helper in front of her son.
One wrote, “Please remember that your domestic helper is a human being.”
“Maids should be advised that they are not slave but employee and they can resigned.
Both can walk away from this employer/employee relationship without violence,” wrote another.
/TISG