Reports of battered maids cause flurry in Malaysia

February 29, 2000
Web posted at: 3:59 a.m. HKT (1959 GMT)

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (CNN) -- Malaysia is looking hard at some of its core values after a series of newspaper reports about the ill treatment of some Indonesian and Filipino maids at the hands of Malaysian housewives.

	VIDEO
CNN's Kasra Naji investigates the allegations. Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K

Dramatic pictures and vivid testimony from some of the maids have cast a searing light on aspects of Malaysian society, calling into question Malaysia's commitment to basic human rights among its non-natives.

Although the number of abuse cases among the 200,000 Filipino and Indonesian maids is small, social workers say Malaysia must take steps to stop all such abuses.

But some housewives have stepped forward to complain about their own situations.

For more ASIANOW news, myCNN.com will bring you news from the areas and subjects you select.

See related sites about Southeast Asia
Southeast Asian media sites

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.