Filipina who accused employer of abuse barred by S’pore

A young Filipino domestic worker who accused her employer of depriving her of food has been barred from re-entering the country to work after an investigation by the Ministry of Manpower found the worker’s claims were false.

The woman, 25, wrote on Facebook in early March, alleging that her employer only provided her with minimal food – about three spoons of rice and some meat, as shown in a photo of a half-empty plate, the Lianhe Wanbao (Singapore) reported.

The worker, who claimed to be a patient recovering from a breast cyst operation, claimed she was not permitted to go out on days-off or entitled to any paid sick leave.

On March 14, Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower intervened after the alleged abuse case, and the other side of the story was revealed. The employer surnamed Lim was puzzled to have been invited by officials to assist an investigation – and totally shocked at the accusations.

Lim said she hired the worker last June to care for her ageing father-in-law and five-year-old son, and said she had been satisfied with her performance.

She explained that she had never limited her food consumption, and even bought the carer Filipino snacks in case she felt hungry between meals.

Lim dismissed the worker’s claims that she made her do heavy domestic chores, saying she knew the Filipina was recovering from the major operation, so she ensured her performance would not be compromised.

According to the ministry’s investigation, the worker’s claims did not stand – indeed, she admitted to the authorities that she had been treated well by the Lim family. However, she said she still wanted to have more food but did not know what to do that. She resolved to ask that question online.

After the incident, the worker deleted her post, and apologized to Lim many times.

However, since the worker’s claim had misled the public and damaged the reputation of her employer, she has been barred from entering Singapore for work again, the ministry said.

Foreign domestic workers are advised to enter discussions with their employers, or to seek help from their employment agencies, or to file a complaint to the authorities in cases of abuse.