Indonesian maid wins $145,000 in compensation for [hot iron and bicycle chain] abuse in Hong Kong

[Hamartia Antidote]

Indonesian maid wins $145,000 in compensation for abuse in Hong Kong

She was burned with an iron and beaten with a bike chain, leaving lasting physical and emotional scars. Read more at straitstimes.com.

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She was burned with an iron and beaten with a bike chain, leaving lasting physical and emotional scars.

HONG KONG – An Indonesian woman who was beaten and burned by her former Hong Kong employers, leaving her suffering chronic pain, was awarded more than HK$860,000 (S$145,000) in damages on Friday.The abuse meted out to Ms Kartika Puspitasari, 40, made headlines a decade ago and sparked protests over the treatment of domestic workers in Hong Kong.Most victims cannot afford to seek redress in Hong Kong, especially after their visas expire at the end of their contracts, activists say.Her employers were convicted and jailed in 2013, with a court hearing how they waged a two-year campaign of violence and humiliation against her.

She was burned with an iron and beaten with a bike chain, leaving her physically scarred and mentally traumatised.Lawyers said the severity of the injuries limit her future employment options and that she was never able to afford the surgeries and medical treatment she needed.Her mistreatment only came to light after she sought consular protection, and she eventually returned to Indonesia in 2014 without having received any wages.

On Friday, a judge ruled that Ms Puspitasari was “treated inhumanely” and awarded her HK$868,607 ($110,650).While Puspitasari's compensation is rare, it is not without precedent. At her home in Padang city on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, Ms Puspitasari broke down in tears as she received the news by video call.“I am lost for words for all of your kindness,” she said, thanking her lawyers and friends.Puspitasari said she was exhausted by her decade-long legal quest.Ms Eni Lestari, spokesperson for the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body in Hong Kong, called Ms Puspitasari’s case extreme, but “not isolated”..Around 340,000 migrant domestic workers, mainly women from Indonesia and the Philippines, are employed in Hong Kong.

Rights groups have long argued that the city’s system leaves domestic workers vulnerable to exploitation, with some unable to flee hostile workplaces due to the requirement they live with their employers.Most victims cannot afford to seek redress in Hong Kong, especially after their visas expire at the end of their contracts, activists say.it really was too long," she told AFP in an interview in October.

In court, Ms Puspitasari testified that the abuse left her with dark, protruding scars on her back, abdomen and left arm.Lawyers said the severity of the injuries limit her future employment options and that she was never able to afford the surgeries and medical treatment she needed."I cannot imagine myself forgetting or leaving this behind because the trauma is too deep.The husband and wife who employed her – who completed sentences of three-and-a-half and five-and-a-half years, respectively – did not contest the civil suit.

While Ms Puspitasari’s compensation is rare, it is not without precedent.In 2017, a Hong Kong court awarded US$103,400 (S$137,164) to Ms Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, who was held captive, starved and beaten to the point she lost control of her bodily functions.Ms Puspitasari said she was exhausted by her decade-long legal quest. “I feel frustrated because… it really was too long,” she told Agence France-Presse in an interview in October.Ms Puspitasari said she hopes to rebuild a quiet life with her husband and three children.

“I cannot imagine myself forgetting or leaving this behind because the trauma is too deep.

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2014

Hong Kong couple jailed for torturing Indonesian helper fail in appeal bid

A Hong Kong couple convicted of torturing their Indonesian helper for two years with hot irons and bicycle chains have failed in a bid to appeal the verdict.

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A couple who were jailed for torturing their Indonesian domestic helper with bicycle chains and hot irons over two years lost their appeals yesterday against their convictions and sentencing.

The High Court ruling means Tai Chi-wai and Catherine Au Yuk-shan, both in their early 40s, will serve the rest of their prison terms - three years and three months, and five years and six months, respectively.