Singapore's foreign maids exploited by agents, employers...

The promise of a salary five times what she could make at home prompted Nabila to leave Indonesia and her family for a job as a domestic worker in Singapore.

What she did not realise was that it would be eight months before she earned a cent because of deductions made by the employment agency that brought her to Singapore.

With a 17-hour working day that started at 5 a.m., a "very demanding" employer and dinners that consisted of leftovers, the 30-year-old said she was driven to despair.

"I was desperate when I realised that I wouldn't get paid for such a long time," said Nabila, whose monthly salary was S560 ($424). "I came to Singapore because I need money for my two children so that they can go to school. I need every cent."

Employment agencies are part of a complex web spun across Southeast Asia by brokers and agents that allow the domestic workers virtually no say in their working conditions. Full story...

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