Transient Workers Count Too, a non-profit charitable society, runs a helpline service for foreign workers who are in need of a listening ear. We have received calls from maids whose stories made us worry that they genuinely felt suicidal.

Two cases that we handled recently had similar features - insufficient food, no days off and verbal abuse.

One of the callers reported to us having drunk bleach and the other revealed she felt like jumping out the window. Upon investigation, TWC2 found these callers had lost weight, and felt fatigued and in desperate need of an escape.

As reported in the article, the 'sandwich generation' takes on the responsibility for caring for young children and the elderly on top of generating an income. These same income-earners are likely to hire domestic help to ease their workload.

Most of us who are in this position feel very stressed and some may take out their frustration on a maid who perhaps does not work as an employer wants her to.

In one of our cases, we were told that the caller's employer, knowing that neighbours might otherwise overhear her shouting, reprimands her in the toilet.

The caller found this unfair and wished people did hear of the verbal abuse hurled at her, from which she wanted to escape. We believe if there is disagreement between an employer and a domestic worker, it is best to try to deal with it in as reasoned and calm a way as possible, allowing both to communicate better over problem issues.

It is certainly understandable that, faced with the normal pressures of domestic work, a person can become depressed and fed up; when, on top of this, a worker faces long hours, no time off and verbal abuse, she may not only feel burnt out, but also start thinking of how to end her unhappiness.

Our helpline service tries its best to be a friend to such desperate callers and to help them find ways of dealing with their problems that reassure them that things can get better.

(TWC2's helpline number is 1800-888-1515)

Sha Najak (Ms)

(Helpline/Case Manager)

TWC2