Exhibition shines a light on struggles of foreign domestic workers in Singapore

SINGAPORE – For 1½ years, a 31-year-old foreign domestic worker (FDW) endured daily scoldings from her employer about her work.

She also felt constantly hungry, as she was given only limited portions of food. In one instance, she had to carefully ration one packet of kangkong over several days. In just six months, she lost 15kg. 

Real-life stories like hers motivated four final-year communication students from Nanyang Technological University’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information to hold an exhibition – Maid of Honour – to advocate fair employment practices for FDWs. 

The students – Ms Meg-Gayle Dean, 22; Ms Freya Low Yi, 24; Ms Trinity Lim, 22; and Ms Rachel Tan, 23 – had grown up with domestic helpers at home or in their grandparents’ households. 

“Perhaps some people don’t see them as equal individuals, but at the end of the day, they are all humans and they came to Singapore looking for a better life,” said Ms Dean, speaking to The Straits Times at the launch of the exhibition on Jan 31. 

The team worked with migrant worker rights group Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME) to put up the exhibition at Jurong Regional Library, highlighting challenges faced by FDWs, including insufficient food and inadequate rest.

The team has also launched a website with long-form stories from both domestic helpers and employers, and runs an Instagram page that includes street interviews with members of the public. They are also producing a podcast episode with creative agency WriteHaus Asia, slated to be out in early February.

There are currently more than 300,000 FDWs in Singapore. 

Since January 2023, all employers must give their domestic workers

at least one rest day a month that cannot be compensated with cash

. Those who do not comply may be issued warnings and debarred from hiring FDWs. 

However, the team’s survey of 105 current FDW employers found that one in three does not give domestic helpers a weekly rest day. 

Dr Stephanie Chok, executive director of HOME, said domestic helpers often do not report when their employers flout the rules because of fear of retaliation. Some FDWs continue to work under exploitative conditions because they need to keep their jobs. 

“Ensuring that FDWs are respected and well rested will also improve quality of care for care recipients, which include our elderly and young children,” said Dr Chok.

“As Singapore’s population ages, reliance on FDWs will only continue to grow. It is therefore critical that FDWs are treated fairly and with dignity, and accorded the same basic rights and protections as other workers.”

The exhibition was officially opened by West Coast-Jurong West GRC MP Hamid Razak, who had previously raised questions in Parliament about the mental well-being and healthcare needs of FDWs. 

Dr Hamid said he supported the exhibition because he believes in building a caring society and the group’s project embodied such ideals. 

He pointed out that family members of young children or the elderly have peace of mind while at work because FDWs help with caregiving. 

“We should ensure FDWs are treated fairly and respectfully because the result is not just one contented FDW, but also a family at peace,” he said.

The exhibition will run daily from 10am to 9pm till Feb 28.

Correction note: In an earlier version of the story, we gave the wrong name for Jurong Regional Library. The earlier version of the story also said that the team’s survey found one in three employers does not give domestic helpers the monthly mandatory rest day. It should be a weekly rest day. We are sorry for the error.