All they wanted for Christmas is to be able to go home and enjoy the festivities with their family members.

But for cousins, Sara and Joy (not their real names), this year would be the first time they are celebrating Christmas in a foreign land.

Both women, who are degree holders in their early 20s, had sacrificed their jobs as teachers at a local college in the Philippines after being promised by a friend that there would be “better paying” clerical positions in Malaysia.

They arrived in Kuala Lumpur in May with the help of an agent and soon discovered that the promised position was not what they were told.

Despite working for seven months, they did not receive a single sen in salary from their employer. In addition, they did not have a legal work permit as promised by the purported agent.

“I still hope that we can go back to the Philippines before Christmas,” said Sara when met at migrant workers support group Tenaganita’s office in Petaling Jaya.

“I want to go back with my cousin and celebrate Christmas with our family. Dec 24 is also my mum’s birthday, and so we always celebrate it together,” she said.

With the help of Tenaganita, both Sara and Joy had their cases referred to the Labour Department but it is not likely that their case would be dealt with before Christmas next week.

Joy, who recounted their experience, said they were first told to pay an amount equivalent to RM500 to an “agent” in the Philippines, purportedly as a “processing fee” for their work permits here.

“When we arrived, we were taken (to work) at an office in Puncak Alam. After two months, we were moved to Putrajaya,” she said, adding that the purported agent had from the beginning held on to their passports.

While promised positions as office clerks, Joy said both of them were also made to work as a receptionist, cashier or waitress at another premise operated by their employer.

“After three months, we moved to Johor Bahru because our employer said ‘your work permits are with your agent in Johor Bahru so you go there for your thumbprint (biometric processing)’,” she said.

“We were in Johor Bahru for three weeks and nothing happened, so we asked our employer for our salary.

“He promised us to pay ‘tomorrow’ and after three days, still nothing,” she said further.

The duo then decided to contact their aunt in Hong Kong who referred their cases to Tenaganita.

From Kupang to Kuala Lumpur

Nona (not her real name), an Indonesian, had been employed as a domestic worker in Malaysia for four-and-a-half years.

Her daily routine, stretching more than 12 hours, also included double duties as a shop assistant.

In that time, Nona said she did not see any of her RM550 in monthly wage, an amount less than the RM700 a month which was promised to her by an agent before departure from her hometown in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia.

Nona said she has so far been paid RM9,000 in total, banked into an account belonging to a family member back home. 

“When I asked (the first time), they (employer) sent RM6,000. The second time, I asked for RM5,000 but they only sent RM3,000.

“So in all the time I worked here, I was only paid RM9,000,” Nona said.

After her third request for the rest of her outstanding wages was denied, Nona said she eventually decided to "save herself" and seek help from Tenaganita.

When met, Nona told Malaysiakini that she was reluctant to come and work in Malaysia but an “agent” had told her parents to convince her otherwise.

She said it was increasingly common for young women and even girls from her village to be lured with promises of jobs as domestic workers in Malaysia.

Tenaganita director Glorene Das (photo) told Malaysiakini it is unclear as to the exact reasons for Nona’s employers to directly transferred her salary to another family member.

“She (Nona) doesn’t know the reason. But from our past cases, it could be an arrangement between the agent and her family,” she said, adding that Tenaganita had assisted Nona to file her case in the Labour Department, after failing to negotiate with her employer.

In a joint special report with Indonesia’s Tempo magazine, Malaysiakini had earlier this year exposed a network of “illegal maid trade” from Nona’s home region, East Nusa Tenggara, to Malaysia.

Sara, Joy and Nona shared their bitter experience they faced in Malaysia at Tenaganita’s press conference to mark the International Migrants Day 2017 which falls on Dec 18 every year.