A Singaporean couple who pleaded guilty to starving their maid were jailed and fined on Monday (March 27).
Freelance trader Lim Choon Hong, 47, was sentenced to three weeks jail and fined $10,000. His wife Chong Sui Foon, also 47, was jailed for three months.
The prosecution, which is asking for the maximum sentence of one year jail for both, is appealing. The couple are on bail of $3,000 each pending the appeal.
During her employment from Jan 2013 to April 2014 at the couple’s previous condominium home at Boulevard Residence in Cuscaden Walk, Madam Gawidan would at times ask Chong for more food, but was rejected.
The couple provided Filipino domestic worker Thelma Oyasan Gawidan with only two meals a day at their previous condominium home at Boulevard Residence in Cuscaden Walk, causing the 40 year old weight dropped from 49kg to 29kg over a 15 month period.
The first meal, which was usually provided at around 1am to 2am, it was two to three slices of plain white bread and one to two packets of instant noodles. Occasionally, Chong would mix small portions of vegetables and meat with the instant noodles.
The second meal, which was provided in the late morning or early afternoon, would consist of five to six slices of plain white bread.
Gawidan also had to ask for permission before drinking water, and Chong would give her water from the tap. Madam Gawidan stopped menstruating after February 2013 and her hair started falling out a few months later.
Chong also forbade Madam Gawidan from using the toilets in their home. The domestic worker had to use the common toilet in the condominium. Madam Gawidan was also allowed to shower once or twice a week and Chong would stand inside the toilet while she showered.
During the trial, Lim said his wife had previously suffered from anorexia nervosa, an obsessive desire to lose weight by refusing to eat and from obsessive-compulsive disorder. Due to her preferences, he said their lifestyle "revolved around food and cleanliness".
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said that Madam Gadiwan did not menstruate for the rest of her employment period.
“She lost strength, became physically weaker, and suffered hair loss. The couple were aware of Thelma’s weight loss and physical deterioration. When MOM referred Thelma for medical assessment, she was found to have suffered from severe malnutrition,” said the ministry in a statement.
The ministry also noted that the Lims did not allow her to call her employment agency to seek help and request for a change of employment. They insisted that she communicate whatever she wanted to tell the agency through them instead.
Commenting on the case, director of well-being at MOM’s Foreign Manpower Management Division, Ms Jeanette Har, said: “The Ministry has zero tolerance for abuse and mistreatment of workers.
“The conduct of Lim and his wife is reprehensible and MOM will prosecute individuals who fail to safe guard the well-being of the worker. We are glad that Madam Gadiwan’s physical condition has improved and she is now working for a new employer.”
In a statement on Monday night, Mr Shamsul Kamar, executive director of the Centre for Domestic Employees, said the centre is deeply saddened by this incident and urged foreign domestic workers who feel that they are being mistreated to seek immediate help.