Sadly, physical abuse towards Indonesian maids happens far too often, both internationally and domestically.
Yesterday, Ani, a 20-year-old maid, escaped her employers’ house in Matraman, East Jakarta, and immediately went to the police to report that her employers had been physically abusing her.
Ani’s face was bruised and bleeding when she arrived at the police precinct and her body was bruised all over. Ani said that the injuries were a result of recent beatings, but the abuses her employers inflicted on her in the past were much more brutal.
“I was splashed with hot water on my chest a long time ago. If I made a mistake I’d get splashed with hot water. There’s also a mark on my stomach from a hot iron,” Ani said, as quoted by Vivanews yesterday.
The police soon arrested one of her employers, who was identified as Ari. His wife, Meta, went on the run from the police yesterday but turned herself in to the police today to confess for her crimes.
The police say that the couple had kept Ani confined in their house and physically abused her for several years. They are facing at least 5 years in jail for domestic abuse.
