Domestic helper waits outside restaurant while employers dine inside

• A photo of a domestic helper sitting outside a restaurant while her employers dine inside went viral on Facebook.
• British blogger, Malcom Conlan, has written an open letter to Singapore’s Prime Minister to address the issue.

A photo of a domestic helper who was sitting on the sidewalk outside a restaurant went viral. The woman’s employers were said to have been dining inside and this led to a spark of outrage among Singaporeans.

The image has been circulating online and has caught the attention of British blogger, Malcom Conlan. He was concerned about the scenario and wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

It was said to be taken outside a Chinese restaurant by a 38-year-old netizen whose identity has remained undisclosed. The netizen said that he has watched the couple arrive with the helper and the two went inside to have their meal, while the latter didn’t even get to step into the establishment.

“I am sorry to have felt the need to write to you personally, however I was absolutely shocked and saddened to see a photo online of a Filipina worker in your country, sitting outside a restaurant crouched down, almost treated like a dog who had been tied up outside and was waiting for its master to return and release it!!,” Malcom wrote to Prime Minister Lee.

“I am totally dismayed by the way this lady had been treated. If the family could not afford to allow the Filipina to dine with them in the restaurant, then maybe they should question if they could afford to employ anyone at all?”

He said that he is “utterly distressed” at the image of a Filipino being treated that way.

While the photographer was unable to confirm the nationality of the domestic helper, he mentioned that the woman looked Indonesian. Neverthless, Malcom’s intentions were directed to the unjust treatment towards the woman.

In a recent update, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is said to have looked into the issue. They have also contacted the photographer and several people who shared the photo in hopes of getting more information.