HONG KONG – An Indonesian woman who was beaten and burned by her former Hong Kong employers, leaving her to suffer 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.

Her employers were convicted and jailed in 2013, with a court told how they waged a two-year campaign of violence and humiliation against her.

Ms Kartika was burned with an iron and beaten with a bike chain, leaving her physically scarred and mentally traumatised.

Her mistreatment came to light only 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 Kartika was “treated inhumanely” and awarded her HK$868,607.

At her home in Padang city on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, Ms Kartika 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.

Ms Eni Lestari, spokesman for the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body in Hong Kong, called Ms Kartika’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 that 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.

In court, Ms Kartika testified that the abuse left her with dark, protruding scars on her back, abdomen and left arm.

Lawyers said the severity of the injuries limits her future employment options, and that she was never able to afford the surgical procedures and medical treatment she needed.

The husband and wife who employed her – who completed sentences of 3½ and 5½ years, respectively – did not contest the civil suit.

While Ms Kartika’s compensation is rare, it is not without precedent.

In 2017, a Hong Kong court awarded US$103,400 (S$137,000) to Ms Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, who was held captive, starved and beaten to the point that she lost control of her bodily functions.

Ms Kartika said she was exhausted by her decade-long legal quest.

“I feel frustrated because... it really was too long,” she told AFP in an interview last October.

She 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.” AFP