Treat domestic helpers as equals, not servants
By Cassandra Chew
THERE was one year as an undergraduate when I spent every Friday as a domestic helper to a family in New York in the United States.
I was the Mandarin-speaking babysitter who arrived at their home at 8.30am.
I ate sandwiches with the family at lunch and took a break while three-year-old Oscar napped. I went home at 5.30pm.
Occasionally, I would be the one making lunch. Or changing Oscar’s diapers, or putting the potatoes in the oven. But not once did I feel like a servant.
I was a much-needed help to a busy full-time mother who appreciated my presence, and I quickly became her listening ear.
I felt respected, and was treated as nothing less than an equal.
I admired that so much, and Fridays quickly became my favourite day of the week.
I remember thinking: Why didn’t we treat our helpers the same way in Singapore?
How is it that non-governmental groups need to be lobbying for maids to get just one day off a month?
‘They don’t get vacation days?!’ my American friend Jackie repeated in disbelief after I told her about the Day Off campaign.
She didn’t have to say a word; I could see the judgment in her eyes.
The average American truly believes in the concepts of freedom and human rights.
To them, confiscating a person’s passport, keeping them at home unless otherwise permitted, and withholding rest days, are all violations of a person’s fundamental rights.
‘The pressure of responsibility from your Government shouldn’t be an excuse to exert control over a person,’ she retorted, referring to the heavy levy imposed on employers of foreign domestic workers.
‘It should motivate employers towards valuing their workers and ensuring their well-being.’
It is easy to dismiss her viewpoint as being distinctively Western, and therefore irrelevant to Asian cultures.
But wouldn’t it be fair to posit, that the value of the human life is not reserved for just a certain few, but for the masses?
I know that as a society, we recognise this because Singaporeans in the last two weeks have poured out thousands towards relief efforts in Myanmar and China.
We have seen the need to ensure the well-being of our neighbours several hours away from us, and have made the conscious decision to act upon that need.
What then of those in our own homes?
It has been years since I worked as a domestic helper to that American family, but I still think about them fondly, and tell others of the good times I had with them.
What is the legacy you want told of your family?
The writer, 25, is a Singapore Press Holdings scholarship holder. She is completing her postgraduate studies in international law and government at Georgetown University in the United States.
Tags: Cassandra Chew
You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.