http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,195852,00.html?
Bukit Batok maid freelances as sex worker in mornings after sending child to kindergarten
Be quick, I must fetch my employer's child
By Special Correspondent
March 16, 2009
DOMESTIC helpers play a big part in looking after families in Singapore.
From house-cleaning to child-caring, their efforts are a common sight in Housing Board estates.
But in Bukit Batok, a few maids have given 'extra' work a new meaning.
One of them, Rose (not her real name), an Indonesian, is allegedly selling sexual favours to middle-aged men in the neighbourhood.
Even younger men are not safe from these temptresses, as one upset father found out.
Mr J Chong, a businessman in his 50s, had caught his 20-year-old son having sex with Rose in his Bukit Batok flat last month.
Mr Chong tipped off The New Paper on Sunday as he was sure that Rose was still plying her sex services.
Said Mr Chong: 'When I caught them, I threatened to tell her employer.
'She begged me not to because she would lose her job. It's because I pitied her that I let her go.'
Mr Chong, who works in Johor Baru and often returns home late at night, learned that Rose was a maid after confronting his son in the bedroom.
Added Mr Chong: 'I slapped my son before he could apologise. But he didn't tell me the full story, such as who she works for or where she lives.
'As a father, I'm worried this woman could have passed a disease to him.'
Mr Chong was disappointed when his friends at the neighbourhood coffee shop told him that his son was seeing Rose again.
Across the coffee shop, at a playground, some maids often congregate and flirt with middle-aged men.
By appointment only
Rose and her friends charge between $40 and $60 for sex, and would also leave their contact numbers for men in the estate, said Mr Chong.
This reporter called Rose for an appointment.
Rose was willing to meet, though I was not recommended by any of her previous clients.
Rose, 40, said in English: 'I don't go to hotels. I'm usually busy (with my other appointments). You must live nearby so that we can do it at your home.'
Then she added: 'Darling, do you have condoms?'
Rose stressed that our date would depend on whether her boss was working that day.
Last week, I met Rose at a void deck, close to where she lives.
She apologised for being late.
Although busy with household chores, Rose had cooked up an excuse to leave her employer's flat.
The mother of three from East Java was friendly and outspoken.
She said her time was 'short' as she would need to fetch her employer's child from a nearby kindergarten at noon.
Each day she drops off the child at the kindergarten by 8.30am, leaving her only a 'few hours to entertain her clients'.
Before we continued talking, Rose insisted on payment of $50. I asked her if it was possible for her to recommend younger maids.
She said a few of her compatriots in the estate were also offering the same services.
Rose said: 'From past experiences, men will forget me once I introduce them to younger girls in this estate.
'I don't want to give you other girls because how then will I get money?'
Rose, who has worked in Singapore for five years, revealed that her customers were usually older men.
One of her regulars, who paid her well and bought her gifts, had recently relocated overseas.
Rose added: 'If you like my services, you can call me any time. In the future, you don't have to pay me all the time. I just want to make you happy.'
When it was time to proceed to the flat upstairs, my handphone rang, as planned.
The call from a colleague was my excuse to call off our 'liaison'. I told Rose that a family member had called to say he was coming over.
Rose agreed to postpone the session and assured me that she would fulfil her contract and 'not run'.
The next day, I called Rose, revealed my identity and asked her why she was engaging in such activities.
After a few moments of silence, she said: 'After my husband died (in 2000), I was the only one left to support my family. My $350 salary is not enough to send back home.'
She then hung up.
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Sex-for-hire maids run foul of law
IT doesn't happen often.
But there are foreign maids who run afoul of the law when they join the sex trade.
Two lawyers and the president of a non-governmental organisation were not surprised by Rose's sex-for-hire case.
Under the law, a maid is not allowed to perform other work outside the employer's home.
Maids like Rose who 'freelance', can be repatriated for breaching their work permit conditions, said lawyer A P Thirumurthy.
He recalled one similar case four years ago where a maid was providing sexual services for money.
The maid was sacked and banned from entering Singapore, he said.
Employers can also be penalised if they are aware of their maids' illegal activities and have 'a part in encouraging it', said lawyer Satwant Singh.
Under the Women's Charter, an employer who takes a cut from a 'freelancing' maid, can be jailed up to five years and fined up to $10,000.
Said Mr Singh: 'As an employer is responsible for his maid's welfare and upkeep, the onus is then on him to prove that he was not aware of what his maid had been doing.
'He must also show that he took all the necessary steps to keep his maid from straying.'
But how will employers know what their maids are up to when they are at work?
It boils down to trust, say those The New Paper on Sunday spoke to.
Ms Grace Chong of Grace Manpower Agency said that when trust is established, employers will not doubt their maids.
Said Ms Chong: 'These days, you'll never know what your own child is doing, let alone a maid.
'But when you instil good moral values and treat a maid like a family member, then there's nothing to worry.'
A situation like Rose's is unlikely to happen if employers are understanding, said Mr John Gee, president of Transient Workers Count Too.
Employers should clearly state a maid's duties and tell her what she is not allowed to do.
For instance, bringing a stranger into the home raises questions of safety and possible theft, and could earn a maid instant dismissal.
But Mr Gee cautions against having too many rules as it may seem oppressive.
Instead, lend a sympathetic ear to the maid's problems.
Said Mr Gee: 'A great majority of maids will not sell their bodies for money. But if they do, it could be due to economicdesperation.
'A decent employer should then ask why is this happening and look for solutions.'
Sadly, not many options are open to maids in debt.
Salaries have remained low, hovering between $240 and $300, said Mr Gee who recently studied Indonesian maids' 10-year pay rates.
Still, he has encountered helpful employers, who give bonuses or loans to maids in financial trouble.
'It's a two-way street - maids must not be afraid to speak up and employers need to listen,' said Mr Gee.
Mr Hsu H K, 37, a business executive, is strict with his 24-year-old Indonesian maid, and has told her not to leave the flat on herown.
Said the father of two boys: 'Everywhere she goes, she will be accompanied by my parents. But if she needs to buy something quickly, she must be reachable on her handphone.'
Another employer, Mr Mohd Salleh, prefers a more extreme approach. He has installed CCTV cameras in his flat. He also makes his maid fill out a log of what she has done each day.
After completing every chore, the maid reports to him over the telephone.
But the 32-year-old engineer allows his maid to leave the flat unaccompanied.
Said Mr Mohd: 'I trust her. The log is just a precaution. If she has been lying, I can check easily, with shopkeepers or the people she said she has met that day.'
But maids don't like being 'monitored'.
Ms Tini, 23, an Indonesian maid working in the same estate as Rose, said that's why some keep secrets from their employers.
She said: 'The maid's (Rose's) actions are disgraceful, but most of us work honestly.
'When we have money problems, we keep it from our bosses because they may not understand.'
Ms Tini and her friends have a central pool where they can borrow money from one another if they are in urgent need.
However, who is qualified to judge if fugly 
