At the moment, there is great public outcry over the case of the Indonesian maid who has been severely abused by her employer. However, people will soon forget and move on just as in previous cases of severe abuse, whether on maids or on children.

Children and foreign maids who are subjected to abuse share similar circumstances they are helpless and totally dependent on the heads of the household, they are not aware of their rights, and there are people around who know that these abuses are going on but say and do nothing.

It is impossible that the relatives and friends of the maid's employer were not aware of the abuse. The signs on the maid's face and body cannot be just brushed away.

The public must speak up when cases of abuse are encountered. People suppress their conscience by telling themselves that it is not their business. Or else, they do not want to jeopardise relationships with the abusers. As such, abuse continues to thrive under the cloak of secrecy.

Speaking up when one encounters cases of abuse, even if the abuser is a close relative or friend, is a major step in checking abuse. Persevering to ensure action is taken to protect the victim is the next step.

With regard to foreign maids, more must be done to ensure that they are suitably protected. Overseeing a maid in the home is in fact a management job. Most people do not have the skills to effectively manage an employee.

First-time employers of foreign maids need to be given some form of compulsory training. Maids and employers should also be given a briefing, together, on the rights of both the employer and the employee. In addition, maids must be given an avenue where they can alert relevant authorities if they are subject to adverse working conditions.

When all is said and done, if abuse of foreign maids continues, it may be better to totally scrap the programme of recruiting foreign maids.