I was shocked to read that a maid who wanted to work elsewhere deliberately scalded her employer's baby after learning that she had to pay for a transfer (Maid gets 14 months' jail for dipping baby's hand in hot water, Oct 29).

The authorities should work with maid agencies to come up with a "safe passage" for maids who want a transfer, no matter how frivolous the maid's reason is.

The safety of a maid's charges, who are at risk should she become frustrated due to not wanting to stay at her current workplace, should be the top concern.

Maid agencies would naturally discourage transfers initiated by maids if they deem the reasons frivolous. It is important to ensure that maids can easily seek assistance from their embassies or the Ministry of Manpower and are aware of how to do so.

Kang Choon Tian