I totally agree with Ms Shamim Moledina ("Teach employers how to treat maids well"; Dec 10).

Employers must learn to treat maids in a respectful way, as in any other job. If the employer expects to be treated with respect at his own workplace, he must treat domestic employees in the same way.

Maids work tirelessly for many hours, and are far away from their homes and families. They need to adjust to a whole new environment, which takes time and is not easy. Added to that is their worry about their loans.

My Indonesian maid has been devotedly caring for my aged mum for 17 years. I appreciate and am grateful to her. I feel blessed to have her, and I do all I can to take good care of her and her family.

We all want and need to be respected and well taken care of in any job. Maids are no different. Maids are not robots who can work non-stop. Maids are not slaves to be treated without dignity or respect. Maids are not objects that we rent and abuse.

It would be good to have a compulsory orientation class for people who hire maids to inform and remind them of the laws and guidelines in how to treat maids properly.

The authorities should conduct annual checks with maids and other foreign workers to monitor their working conditions.

Maid abusers and those who do not pay maids' salaries must be banned from hiring maids for life.

Susan Tan Lin Neo (Miss)