Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Malaysians who have beaten or raped their maids will be barred for life from hiring domestic help, the government announced this week. Horror stories of sexual and physical abuse of foreign maids have dominated Malaysian headlines in recent weeks. One Indonesian girl was forced by her employer to swallow a cockroach as punishment for leaving the floor dirty; another was kept as a sex slave for her boss and his business partners. Some 200,000 foreigners, mostly Indonesians, work in domestic service in Malaysia, and Indonesia recently threatened to bar its citizens from working there unless Malaysia took steps to protect them. Immigration Director Datuk Mohd Jamal Kamdi said his ministry would create a blacklist of abusive employers. “We will also conduct checks in their houses from time to time,” he said, “to ensure they do not have maids.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
July 5 editorial cartoonsCartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include an extrajudicial detainment camp, 'alligator Alcatraz', and tax cuts for billionaires.
-
5 explosively funny cartoons about the 4th of JulyCartoons Artists take on liberty and justice for all, a terrifying firework, and more
-
Jeff in Venice: a "triumph of tackiness"?In the Spotlight Locals protest as Bezos uses the city as a 'private amusement park' for his wedding celebrations
