Genevieve Wijaya, a 35-year-old business owner from Singapore, recently shared a shocking experience on her Instagram story, revealing that the maid she hired from Myanmar had falsified her age. The maid had claimed to be 25 years old, but after a series of inconsistencies and behavioral red flags, Wijaya uncovered that the maid was actually only 19 years old.
When Wijaya first met the maid in January, she suspected the maid looked younger than her stated age. Despite the maid’s insistence that she was 25, Wijaya grew more suspicious as the weeks passed due to the maid’s immature behavior and subpar work performance. The maid appeared constantly depressed, crying over missing her family, yet refusing to return home. Additionally, her answers to questions about her background were inconsistent, and she even wanted a transfer just days after arriving at the household.
Realizing something was off, Wijaya eventually tricked the maid into revealing her true age. The maid admitted that she was born in 2002, making her just 19 years old, not 25. She explained that her employment agent in Myanmar had fabricated her documents. Wijaya later found notebooks where the maid had written English texts detailing the fabricated age and instructions on how to answer questions regarding her age.
Alarmed by this discovery, Wijaya immediately reported the matter to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). She also confronted the agent, who became defensive and insisted that all regulatory checks had been cleared.
In her Instagram post, Wijaya expressed her concern, stating, “It’s very scary… that they dare to add six years to their age.” She believes that more people should be made aware of this issue to prevent similar experiences. Wijaya further clarified that she didn’t blame the maid but felt that the falsified age was a significant factor behind the maid’s behavior and issues.
This is not the first time Wijaya has encountered an underaged maid. She recalled another incident in the past where a maid was found to be underage after a police report was filed for theft. This raises troubling questions about the effectiveness of the checks conducted by employment agencies.
In a 2018 written parliamentary response by then-Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo, it was revealed that around 130 FDWs were found to be underage each year. Employment agencies are required to perform “upstream checks” to ensure that maids meet the age requirement of 23, and those found to be underage face permanent bans from working in Singapore. The reply also highlighted cases in which two employment agencies were fined and had their licenses suspended for employing maids as young as 13 years old.
This incident shines a light on the importance of ensuring accurate documentation and the responsibility of employment agencies in verifying the age and backgrounds of foreign domestic workers. For employers, like Wijaya, it’s a reminder to be vigilant when hiring domestic help to avoid potential legal and personal challenges.