Ms Sugiyem Samad Radimah, who worked as a domestic worker in Singapore, became permanently blind in both eyes after she was tortured and abused by her then employer over a period of six months in 2020. The abuse was only discovered when she returned to her hometown.  Ms Sugiyem was then called to return to Singapore in January 2021 to assist with investigations.

On 25 October 2022, her ex-employer, Ummi Kalsum Ali, was sentenced to 10 years’ jail and fined S$4,500. She pleaded guilty to six charges, which include voluntarily causing grievous hurt to a maid, ill-treating a maid by neglecting to give her medical attention and failing to pay her salary on time.

Ray of Hope caseworkers have spoken to Ms Sugiyem’s lawyer, Anthony Wee, the Managing Director of Titanium Law Chambers LLC, who represented Ms Sugiyem in respect of a civil suit filed against her ex-employer for damages.  Anthony Wee took on the case pro bono.  On top of not charging Ms Sugiyem any legal fees, Titanium Law Chambers LLC also borne all the filing fees incurred in Court for and on behalf of Ms Sugiyem.

In August 2022, an undisclosed settlement amount was reached between the lawyer representing Ms Sugiyem’s ex-employers and Ms Sugiyem.  Whilst the settlement sum so secured should be able to provide Ms Sugiyem with some form of basic financial security, there are two issues:

1. The satisfaction of the settlement sum will be by way of instalment payments being made by Ms Sugiyem’s ex-employers over a certain period. Whilst the first instalment payment has been made, there is no guarantee that the subsequent instalment payments would be honoured.  Only time will tell whether the subsequent instalment payments will be honoured; and
2. According to Ms Sugiyem’s lawyer, the settlement sum so reached is significantly below what Ms Sugiyem could have obtained as damages in law from her ex-employers had her ex-employer been able to pay the damages in full.

Ray of Hope would like to continue supporting Ms Sugiyem while she adapts to life in Semarang by trying to raise a sum of money which would bridge the gap between the settlement sum so reached and the actual damages in law Ms Sugiyem could have obtained.  As the settlement terms are confidential, we are unable to state the actual sum which is being crowd-funded for. However, once the sum, which would bridge the gap between:

1. What Ms Sugiyem should get if her ex-employer had been able to pay damages in full; and
2. The current settlement figure is reached, we shall no longer accept further donations.

Ms Sugiyem has stated that she does not want to receive from kind hearted Singaporeans more than what she would have been able to obtain in law.

CNA news: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/woman-repeatedly-punched-maid-until-she-was-blind-both-eyes-gets-jail-ummi-kalsum-ali-3023966