What should I do when my maid runs away?
Have you ever found yourself in a situation whereby you reach home only to find your maid missing? There were no tell tale signs, everything was going on just fine, and one day, she decides to take off. What should you do? What are the implications?
When such an incident happen, it can get a little troublesome as being an employer, your are responsible for the well being of your maid as long as she is in Singapore. We break down the recommended actions you should take upon discovering the absence of your maid.
1. TRY CONTACTING YOUR MAID
As silly as this may sound, before you jump into any conclusion, you should try to locate her by calling her phone if she has one, or look around the vicinity of your house to see if she has wandered out without informing anyone.
2. CHECK IF SHE TOOK HER BELONGINGS
Check if her personal belongings are still around and if she has taken her passport with her. If so, she's definitely not intending to return.
3. CALL YOUR MAID AGENCY
Inform your Singapore Maid Agency so that they can assist you with locating your maid. They should be able to assist in contacting the maid's training centre or her family members to see if she called home. Besides that, they would be able to inform their branch offices to help keep a lookout should she make her back to the maid agency. Last but not least, they will be able to assist you to check with the relevant Embassies or home shelters to see if the helper reported to any of those organisations.
4. MAKE A POLICE REPORT
Making a police report is vital after you have exhausted all methods of locating your maid. They will be able to investigate and find out if your maid has left the country or try locating her whereabouts for you.
5. CANCEL HER PERMIT
This should be the last resort after making the police report and the domestic helper is still not found within the next couple of days. In this case, your domestic helper will become an overstayer who has breached Singapore's immigration regulation and can be fined, jailed or suffer both sentences before she is sent home.
To understand your liabilities if your maid runs aways, read our article on this by CLICKING HERE.
