Jakarta Globe, Edi Hardum, January 20, 2014
Indonesia has refused mediation and demanded a fair trial for a maid allegedly tortured by her employers in Hong Kong, according to an official.
Demonstrators shout slogans during a march on January 19, 2014 in support of an Indonesian maid who was allegedly tortured by her employer in Hong Kong. (AFP Photo/Alex Ogle) |
Indonesia has refused mediation and demanded a fair trial for a maid allegedly tortured by her employers in Hong Kong, according to an official.
“This
concerns the country’s dignity,” Mohammad Jumhur Hidayat, the head of the
National Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Workers
(BNP2TKI), said on Saturday.
Jumhur
called for the case to be brought to court and for her employers and agents to
be brought to justice.
Erwiana
Sulistyaningsih, 22, was reportedly left unable to walk following eight months
of abusive treatment in Hong Kong and was admitted to hospital in a critical
condition after returning home to Sragen, Central Java.
Erwiana,
who said she was tortured during her employment that began in May 2013, said
she did not receive her salary for eight months. Her employers then bought her
a plane ticket home.
The Hong
Kong-based South China Morning Post reported that Erwiana had only been given
HK$100 ($12.89) and a T-shirt by her employer and was told not to speak to
other Indonesians, before boarding the plane.
Yanti, also
a migrant worker, assisted Erwiana at the airport after seeing her extensive
injuries, which included cuts and burns.
The case
has sparked anger in Hong Kong, where dozens of protesters including maids,
rights activists and migrant group members rallied outside the office of the
maid’s employment agency before marching to the Indonesian consulate.
Security at
the agency’s office was tightened and protesters were prevented from entering.
The BN2TKI
drew criticism when one of its directors, Christofel De Haan, suggested
Erwiana’s case should be “settled peacefully,” or mediated, outside court.
Jumhur said
Christofel had been spoken to regarding his remarks and that corrective action
was being taken against the official, who now risks losing his position with
the agency.
Erwiana’s
condition is improving and doctors anticipate a recovery within weeks,
according to Dita Indah Sari, a spokeswoman for the ministry of manpower and
transmigration.
Hong Kong
police said last week that a criminal investigation had been launched.
There are
more than 300,000 domestic workers, mostly from Indonesia and the Philippines,
in Hong Kong, where reports of abuse by employers are common.
A Hong Kong
couple was sent to prison last year for torturing their Indonesian maid with a
hot iron, a paper cutter and a bicycle chain, according to Britain’s Guardian
newspaper.
Additional reporting from AFP
Indonesian
domestic helper Erwiana Sulistyaningsih lies in a bed whilst being
treated at a
hospital in Sragen, Indonesia’s Central Java on Jan. 17, 2014.
(Reuters
Photo)
|
Related Articles:
Hong Kong Police Arrest Employer of ‘Tortured’ Indonesian Maid
Hong Kong Domestic Helpers Demand Justice for ‘Tortured Maid’
Hong Kong Police to Interview ‘Tortured’ Indonesian Maid
Hong Kong Police Arrest Employer of ‘Tortured’ Indonesian Maid
Hong Kong Domestic Helpers Demand Justice for ‘Tortured Maid’
Hong Kong Police to Interview ‘Tortured’ Indonesian Maid
No comments:
Post a Comment