21yo Maid Dies After M’sian Employers Allegedly Forced Her to Sleep Outside

What a horrific thing for such a young person to endure!

In a report by The Star, a 21-year-old Indonesian woman named Adelina, who moved to Malaysia two years ago to work as a maid in Penang, was recently found to have been allegedly abused by her employers.

Some of the neighbours living nearby claimed that the poor woman was forced to sleep outside with the employer’s Rottweiler for over a month. 

Source: the star

Over the weekend, Adelina was reportedly rescued by assistants to Bukit Mertajam MP Steven Sim on Saturday (10th February) after they were alerted by journalists. One of the assistants told the daily,

“We arrived and saw her on the porch. She did not respond to us and just shook her head. We spoke to the neighbours, who told us they often heard the employer scolding her loudly from inside the house.”

He added that he saw what appeared to be burn marks with pus oozing out of her legs.

A woman in her 60s was at the house when these assistants arrived, and told them to mind their own business as she refused to send Adelina to the hospital.

For illustration purposes | source: the new paper

They were then given the phone number of the older woman’s daughter, who was Adelina’s employer. The 36-year-old employer denied having abused her on the phone. After speaking to her, they then contacted Tenaganita, a human rights NGO dedicated to helping migrant workers. 

Soon after that, the maid’s employer returned to the house and told the assistants that she did slap her in the past, but never abused her, telling them that she had bought a cleaning chemical after the maid allegedly defecated in the kitchen’s drain, clogging it in the process.

“She claimed that the maid had accidentally spilled the chemical on her legs and arms when pouring this into the drain hole, causing chemical burns, and that despite being provided with medication, she did not stop picking at her wounds, making them worse.”

For illustration purposes | source: the straits times

What was even more horrible was that before Tenaganita volunteers arrived at the house, the employer reportedly took Adelina and drove away!

The assistants immediately called the police, who then arrested the 36-year-old woman and her 39-year-old brother. According to Central Seberang Prai OCPD Asst Comm Nik Ros Azhan, Adelina was still fearful when they found her, and police could not record a statement from her.

The 21-year-old was sent to the Bukit Mertajam Hospital, where she unfortunately passed away. She reportedly had a swollen head and face along with injuries on her feet. 

Meanwhile, the maid’s employer and her brother have been remanded until 14th February, as they are being investigated under under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.

We hope that these alleged abusers will face justice. No one should ever have to face such horrible treatment from their employers! Our condolences also go out to Adelina’s family and hope they can remain strong during this terrible time.

Also read: Singaporean Family Goes on Holiday, Heartlessly Leaves Maid to Sleep on Corridor