The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has received roughly the same average number of complaints by foreign domestic workers (FDWs) over the past three months as they received in the same period last year, said Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo on Thursday, Jun. 4.

This was stated by Teo in a written response in Parliament to a question by Member of Parliament Melvin Yong, about the number of complaints lodged by FDWs since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Yong also asked what types of assistance are available to those facing conflict with their employers.

Comparable average number of complaints: Teo

Teo stated that over the past three months, MOM has received an average of eight complaints for every 10,000 FDWs per month, which is "comparable" to the average number of complaints received by the Ministry during the same period in 2019.

The complaints that they received included FDWs not having suitable or enough food, and having issues with their workload.

On May 15, non-governmental organisation (NGO) Humanitarian Organization for Migrant Economics (HOME) said in a statement that they had seen a 25 per cent increase in calls to their helpline since Circuit Breaker began on Apr. 7.

HOME reported that they had received complaints from FDWs of increased work hours, verbal abuse from their employers, and being asked to work on their rest days, as they had been required to stay home on their rest days.

Teo stated:

"The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) investigates all complaints seriously and will take the party responsible to task in accordance with our laws. We will also provide whatever assistance and support we can to the aggrieved party."

Highlighted avenues for support for FDWs

Apart from reaching out to MOM, FDWs facing stress or needing advice can contact NGOs such as the Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE) and the Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training (FAST).

Both maintain a 24-hour helpline for FDWs.

Teo added that CDE has partnered with mental health advocacy organisations, such as the Silver Ribbon, in order to provide counselling services for FDWs.

FAST also offers online activities, such as mental resilience talks and exercise programmes, for FDWs to participate in.

Teo encouraged employers and FDWs to practise good communication:

"As we all adjust to the disruptions in our households due to COVID-19, we encourage employers and FDWs to maintain open communication with each other and exercise extra understanding and sensitivity to each other's needs.

FDWs are an important part of our households and we will continue to work with our partners to safeguard their well-being in Singapore."

Top photo via YouTube / govsingapore.