TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — After a harrowing 14 months of alleged abuse by her Taiwanese employer, an undocumented Indonesian caregiver says that she wants to return to her home country.
Earlier this month, an Indonesian posted several photos and two videos to the Facebook page Breaking News Commune (爆料公社) showing numerous injuries to an undocumented female Indonesian caregiver. The footage showed injuries to the woman's head, eyes, ears, teeth, and skin.
On June 17, mnews posted an interview with the victim, who was identified with the first name "Reni." At the start of the interview, Reni had burn scars on her shoulder and neck from scalding hot water the employer had hurled at her.
This was an example of numerous alleged abuses she suffered during 14 months of captivity in a residence in Taipei's upscale Tianmu area. At the request of reporters, Reni then removed her mask to show scars on her face from numerous alleged beatings, which resulted in shattered teeth, blurred vision in both eyes, and cauliflower ears.
The footage then showed her feet, which she said were still somewhat swollen from being injured. When asked if her boss had given her food to eat, she said "Yes, very late, and sometimes not at all."
She said that sometimes food would not be provided until 1 to 2 p.m. or as late as 5 p.m. In some cases, she would not have a meal until late at night.
Because her phone had been confiscated early on, she had no way to seek help. When the employer had guests, she was allegedly warned not to make a sound or be subject to more beatings.
Reni then described the day of her escape after 14 months of being confined to the residence. She said she was very nervous and was hoping to find fellow countrymen to help her.
After searching in vain for quite some time, Reni finally found an Indonesian shop, where she was able to ask for help and contact her family members. When asked if her family members knew about the alleged abuse, Reni said that her older brother was very upset and that other family members who had found out about the assaults were also distraught.
When asked about her plans, she said she did not know. A male friend of Reni's surnamed Su (蘇) told the news agency that their only choice in the matter is to seek the assistance of the Legal Aid Foundation.
Su said he was thankful that Taiwan has such a legal group to help them with this case. After news spread about her plight, many migrant workers have reportedly offered Reni assistance as well.
Posed with the question of whether she still wanted to stay in Taiwan, she quickly shook her head. Asked if she wanted to return home now, Reni nodded affirmatively and then said, "Of course, I definitely want to return home."
