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by iateanapple 2099 days ago
> The whole experience is bizarre and inhuman and I don’t quite understand how many of my friends do it.

Why is it bizarre and inhuman?

A maid working in Singapore will earn 3-4x what she will make in Indonesia with generally better working conditions.

In addition because expenses are minimal (food+accommodation provided) you can save in 3-5 years what a typical lower class family living in Indonesia will save over 20.
1 comments
manquer 2099 days ago
The inhumanity is nothing to do with economics of it. It is do with how they are being treated.

What rights they have if they are selected out a shopping mall. They have zero avenue for support when they face abuse whether physical, sexual or emotional. visas in places like these ask you to leave immediately if you get quit or fired from a job.

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Dylan16807 2099 days ago
The issues with abuse are terrible, yes.

But what's wrong with the shopping mall part? I'd be happy to sit in a shopping mall as potential employers come by to hire me for 3x what I'd make elsewhere. Maybe even 1x; I'm not convinced I would dislike it more than the normal job interview process.

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iateanapple 2099 days ago
> They have zero avenue for support when they face abuse whether physical, sexual or emotional.

That is not true at all. Singapore is a country of law and order.

> visas in places like these ask you to leave immediately if you get quit or fired from a job.

They have been invited to a country as a temporary worker to do a specific job.

Saying you have to go home if you get fired is not inhuman.

I have worked offshore and had my contract canceled - it sucks but it’s not inhuman.

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arp242 2099 days ago
Well, this story doesn't strike me as a shining example of "law and order" working.

I think you underestimate the psychological effect of constantly being treated as a disposable guest worker; there's a difference between that and working off-shore or being an expat treated as an equal. As I mentioned in my other reply[1] it is a "good deal" for many Indonesians in a way, but it comes at a price, a price which strikes me as quite needless as well.

[1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24563416

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