Indonesian officials have commended Taiwan for the way it treats domestic helpers in the nation, with one saying it can be held up as an example for other countries.
Priyo Budi Santoso, deputy speaker of the Indonesian legislature, recently thanked Taiwan for its treatment of the more than 275,000 Indonesia workers in Taiwan and said it could serve as an example for countries in the Middle East and other parts of the world.
Agus Prihono Roostiawati, former director of the National Agency for Placement and Protection of Indonesian Overseas Workers said told the Central News Agency recently that compared with frequent reports of abuse of Indonesian domestic helpers in Middle Eastern countries, the treatment of workers in Taiwan was clearly much better.
She cited the story of an Indonesian worker who was rewarded for saving her employer’s life, and said it is indicative of the warm relationship that exists between Indonesian workers and their Taiwanese employers.
In April last year, an Indonesian caregiver jumped into a navigation channel in Changhua County to rescue her employer, a 65-year-old woman and cancer patient, who had intended to kill herself.
Although she could not swim, the Indonesian woman managed to hold on to her employer and the two floated for about 2km before being pulled from the 2m deep channel by people who spotted them.
Neither woman was badly injured.
In addition to treating Indonesian domestic helpers better, Taiwanese employers also appear to pay them higher salaries.
According to figures compiled by the Malaysia National Association of Employment Agencies, Indonesian maids earn more in Taiwan than in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and countries in the Middle East.
There are about 6 million Indonesians working overseas, most of them as domestic helpers.
As of the end of last year, Indonesians made up about 275,000 of the migrant workforce in Taiwan, with more than 209,000 of them employed as caretakers for elderly or sick people, according to government statistics.
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