Indonesia Insists on Trial for Maid

Jakarta Globe, Edi Hardum, January 20, 2014

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)

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Hong Kong Domestic Helpers Demand Justice for ‘Tortured Maid’

Hong Kong Police to Interview ‘Tortured’ Indonesian Maid

Indonesian maid Erwiana Sulistyaningsih gets medical treatment

 at a hospital in Sragen, Central Java, on Jan. 15, 2013. Erwiana was

 allegedly tortured in Hong Kong by her employers. (AFP Photo/

Anwar Mustafa)