There is unfortunately never a shortage of stories about the despicable abuse of Indonesian domestic workers, whether domestically or abroad.
The latest of these comes from the Koja district of North Jakarta, when an 11-year-old domestic worker identified as ACW escaped her employer’s home after allegedly being subjected to heavy beatings and various mistreatments. She had worked for her employers ever since she was 8.
“For the past three years working for the homeowner, the victim was never paid and often received harsh treatment,” said Koja Police Chief Supriyanto, as quoted by Okezone yesterday.
ACW finally escaped the house and went to the police after she was accused of stealing money.
“The victim was beaten and even had her head shaved. She no longer wanted to put up with that kind of treatment so she escaped and reported her employer to the Koja police,” Supriyanto said.
The police say they are still conducting an investigation into the matter and have not made any arrests. It’s not yet known what charges the employer would face, but they would presumably be related to violations to child protection laws.
The police are also trying to locate ACW’s parents to investigate how it came to be that their daughter began work as a domestic helper when she was only 8.
