Housewife charged with permanently damaging maid’s eyes, not paying her on time for 9 months

• Ummi Kalsum Ali, 42, is accused of abusing her Indonesian domestic worker
• She has also been charged with failing to pay her wage on time on multiple occasions 
• Her acts were said to have caused Ms Sugiyem Samad Radimah, 49, to suffer permanent sight damage on both her eyes

SINGAPORE — A 42-year-old woman accused of abusing her domestic worker and failing to pay her wage on time on multiple occasions was hauled to court on Wednesday (April 28).

Ummi Kalsum Ali, a Singaporean, now faces:

• Four charges of voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt to her Indonesian helper Sugiyem Samad Radimah, 49

• One charge under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act for ill-treating Ms Sugiyem by neglecting to provide timely and adequate medical attention and treatment on at least six occasions between February and October last year

• Nine charges of failing to pay Ms Sugiyem her fixed monthly salary of S$670 from January to September last year no later than seven days after the last day of the salary period

The prosecution said that it intends to press more charges against Ummi.

The alleged occasions of abuse, all of which took place last year in Ummi’s public housing flat along Pasir Ris Drive 6, are:

• Slapping the maid on her face and ears sometime between February and April last year

• Punching her eyes and hitting them with objects, including clothes hangers, causing Ms Sugiyem to suffer permanent sight damage on both her eyes

• Repeatedly slapping the helper on her face around June or July last year

• Repeatedly pressing a heated iron on her forearm in October last year

The police said on Tuesday that they were told of the alleged offences on Oct 30 last year. 

“As the domestic worker had returned to Indonesia when the report was received, efforts were taken to facilitate her return to Singapore to assist with investigations,” they said.

Ummi told District Judge Terence Tay on Wednesday that she has two children at home and asked for a lower bail amount because she and her husband do not have enough money. 

She added that she is a housewife and that he works as a technician.

In response, the judge said that the bail quantum of S$20,000 was fair, given the charges she faces.

Ummi will return to court on June 9.

Voluntarily causing grievous hurt carries a punishment of up to 10 years’ jail, and offenders are also liable to be fined or caned. If the crimes involve a domestic worker, offenders may receive twice the maximum punishment. 

Those convicted of ill-treating a foreign employee can be jailed for up to two years or fined up to S$20,000, or both.

If convicted of failing to pay her foreign employee on time, Ummi can be jailed for up to a year or fined up to S$10,000, or punished with both, for each charge.

In a statement on Thursday, the labour movement’s Centre for Domestic Employees said that it alerted Singapore’s authorities to the case in October last year, after learning about it through the Indonesian media. 

“Over the past months, our team has been working with the Indonesian Embassy, the authorities and our partners to extend to Sugiyem the assistance she needed,” the centre said. 

“When she was able to travel back to Singapore recently amid the challenging Covid-19 travel restrictions, our staff visited her personally to assure her of our support and assistance. Through our network of partners, counselling sessions were provided to Sugiyem to aid her in coping with trauma.”

The centre also activated its charity fund, the Domestic Employees Welfare Fund, to pay for her medical treatment.