Viral video of Indonesian helper being beaten in Malaysia prompts calls to act

Four people have been arrested in Malaysia’s southern state of Johor after videos circulating online appeared to show an Indonesian domestic worker being slapped, punched and verbally abused inside a private home.

The footage has renewed concerns about the treatment of Indonesian helpers in Malaysia – where about 60,000 are registered to work in private homes – and prompted calls for Jakarta to intervene.

Two sisters and their husbands, aged 30 to 34, were arrested at a house in Taman Johor, near Tampoi in Johor Bahru, at around 7.30pm on Saturday, Johor police chief Ab Rahaman Arsad confirmed.

In the footage, which police said was recorded on July 26 last year, a woman and a man can be seen repeatedly hitting the female worker while others berate her.

Social media posts claimed the worker had been accused of injuring her employer’s child. This Week in Asia could not independently verify this claim.