Offences against foreign domestic workers in Singapore: Vindicating the victim’s right to dignity

Author

Benjamin Joshua ONG, Singapore Management UniversityFollow

Publication Type

Blog Post

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

11-2017

Abstract

The High Court of Singapore recently increased the sentences of two employers who had starved their foreign domestic worker, causing serious physical injury. In so doing, the court affirmed the victim’s right to human dignity despite the relative leniency of the charge. This case prompts reflection not only on the vulnerability of foreign domestic workers and the courts’ role in protecting their basic dignity, but also on the prosecutors’ role in framing charges that accurately and completely reflect the infringement of rights.

Keywords

Singapore, foreign domestic workers, foreign maids, human dignity

Discipline

Asian Studies | Workers' Compensation Law

Publisher

Springer

Citation

ONG, Benjamin Joshua. Offences against foreign domestic workers in Singapore: Vindicating the victim’s right to dignity. (2017).
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/2401

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.