Ill treated maids are really just the tip of a massive iceberg - more often they think they're going to be a maid and end up as a sex slave for some arrogant japanese businessman/yakuza.
Smuggling and abusing filipinos like this around asia is pretty endemic - and is allowed to prosper because filipino 'recruiters' go around recruiting fellow filipinos with promises of wealth and freedom - selling out their country men and women just to earn themselves a paltry few dollars. They know full well what will happen t the people they haev recruited. Despite what they say, there is no loyalty, just an incredible ability to turn a blind eye and convince themselves they are doing nothing wrong.
The government knows it goes on, they do nothing to stop it because they don't want to lose the dollar remittances. The police are too corrupt and self serving to make any attempt at stopping the recruiters - why should they when they can just get a cut as well?
Government action in this respect is shameful and pathetic. That filipinos would willingly and knowlingly send other filipinos to a life of abuse and forced prostitution is appalling. That they can't stop stealing from each other and would rather take a cut of a few dollars for themselves instead of taking any concerted action to protect each other is sickening.
There is no political or national will to prevent these abuses happening in the country of those most affected - and until you get that, the problem will self perpetuate, regardless of how appalling we find it here in the UK. The government only cares about 'saving face' in front of other countries (quite laughable that they are so self deluded into thinking other countries are so stupid they can't see for themselves) - therefore if it is a hidden problem like this, which they think no one else can see, they don't care - they think they are not losing 'face'.
I agree with you Keith, on an individual basis it is appalling and should not happen. But until their own government actually takes proper action to address it, any other attempts to help will falter at the first hurdle.
