The Jakarta Globe, January 21, 2014.
Sragen, Central Java. Officers from the Hong Kong police, in Indonesia to investigate the alleged torture of a 22-year-old Indonesian domestic worker by her employer in Hong Kong, spoke with the victim at a Central Java hospital on Tuesday.
Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, who was admitted to Amal Sehat Islamic Hospital in Sragen district since arriving from the Chinese region earlier this month, was questioned about her treatment at the hands of her employer.
The officers, accompanied by an official from Hong Kong’s labor ministry, questioned Erwiana for over an hour. They also spoke with Erwiana’s family.
Adj. Comr. Sr. Dhani Hernando, the Sragen Police chief, said his office would do everything possible to aid in the probe.
The Hong Kong investigators also checked Erwiana’s medical records at the hospital to ascertain the full extent of her injuries.
Erwiana has told local reporters she was treated badly by her employer. Speaking from her hospital bed, she said she was frequently beaten for making mistakes when serving meals.
She also said her employer had threatened to kill her if she ever told anyone of the treatment she had received.
“Before sending me home, she warned me to keep everything secret or else she would come to my hometown, find me and kill me,” Erwiana said.
Doctors say Erwiana suffered multiple strikes to her head, face, arms, hands and buttocks as well as wounds on the rest of her body. Her teeth were also broken and, based on scans, her brain was so swollen it caused headaches and blurred vision.
Imam Fadhli the doctor in charge of Erwiana’s case, concluded that her head had been frequently hit over a six-month period, saying he could find no another way to explain her symptoms.
Mohammad Jumhur Hidayat, the chairman of the National Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Workers (BNP2TKI), who also visited Erwiana at the hospital, said he appreciated the Hong Kong police’s commitment to investigating the case.
“The Hong Kong police and the Indonesian government have agreed to continue investigating this and we both hope that after she has recovered, Erwiana can go to Hong Kong and testify in court,” he said.
The employer, described only as 44-year-old woman, was arrested at Hong Kong’s airport on Monday, reportedly heading to Thailand. She is suspected of having abused at least one other Indonesian domestic worker besides Erwiana.
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di 21 jan 2014 - 20:39