Verity journal

(A Public Service Announcement)

In light of the recent news surrounding the death of an Indonesian maid from abuse by her employers, there is a call for higher respect and treatment towards foreign workers in Malaysia.

It’s quite unfortunate that we often see news about Malaysian employers abusing their foreign maids. Just last December, police detained a couple for abusing their 60-year-old Indonesian maid. In a similar story, a Cambodian maid was even denied food by her employers and starved to death. How cruel and tragic.

Although we may practice caution when inviting a live-in maid to our homes, it’s not only employers who should screen their employees. For the safety of employees and fairness in the employment process, it is also fitting that the same is done for those who are hiring.

It was reported in The Star recently that about one in 20 maids run away, which questions how employers are treating their workers and possibly the poor working conditions they are forced to work in. The article echoed that most foreign maids have genuine intentions and would not run away unless mistreated or have had their salaries withheld. It’s not easy to put ourselves in the shoes of these workers to imagine what it would be like to work in a foreign country and have a boss who is an abusive nightmare.

With the most recent maid abuse case which highlights the severity and neglect of the issue of unfit employers, the Immigration Director-General Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali made a statement saying that employers who are applying for foreign workers will be required to undergo basic background checks. By practicing due diligence on the part of agencies, the wellbeing of foreign workers can be assured while making sure that potential abusers with a criminal history are blacklisted.

A simple and non-intrusive background screen for both potential maid and employer can be one of the solutions to this problem. It can be a a safety net and filter for the people we enlist in our lives. Should screening become a norm in the maid hiring process, the information obtained from it may just save a life.

With many of such abuse cases indicating that the culprits have had known tendencies of abusive and sketchy history, these background checks will help vet potential employers for any past criminal activities as well as their financial backgrounds. This practice of background screening will be especially applicable in Malaysia’s economy as we continue to rely heavily on the foreign workforce.

Find out more about how background screening can keep you or your workers safe by following www.verityintel.com for more information and articles.