iEYE NEWS READERS Demand justice for Adelina
From Freedom United
The case of Adelina Lisao (aka Sau) shocked the world,sparking outrage across Indonesia[1] and amongst migrant domestic worker communities.[2] Adelina was a 21-year-old Indonesian domestic worker in Malaysia who endured unbearable physical abuse and alleged forced labor at the hands of her employer.She died of organ failure in February 2018, one day after being admitted to hospital.
| Adelina’s employer, Ambika MA Shan, was acquitted of murder in 2019, a decision that was upheld by the Court of Appeal last week. Now we’re calling on Malaysia’s Attorney General to charge Adelina’s employer under Section 304 of the Penal Code, which sets out penalties for deaths caused by culpable homicide or negligence, to ensure Adelina’s abusers are brought to justice – add your voice to the campaign today. |
| Sign the petition |
| Freedom United partner, Tenaganita,[3] rescued Adelina after finding her outside her employer’s home in 2018, severely malnourished and covered in burns and open wounds. Adelina was barely able to speak. Her employer had forced her to sleep outside next to a barking dog for over a month to prevent her from “dirtying the home” with her untreated wounds. In 2019, the High Court acquitted Ambika MA Shan on grounds of health concerns and lack of evidence and last week the bench in the Court of Appeal affirmed the decision put forth by the High Court. We are urgently calling on Malaysia to ensure justice for Adelina by any means and send a clear messagethat the Malaysian justice system does not condone the abuse and exploitation of migrant domestic workers. The dehumanization, and subsequent death, of Adelina is a shameful indictment of the systemic disempowerment of migrant domestic workers around the world. Adelina’s case is not a solitary occurrence but one that is replicated globally[4][5] and enabled in part by discrimination, insufficient labor rights for migrant domestic workers and poor enforcement of the law. Adelina’s mother, Yohana Banunaek, said: |
| “she (her daughter) did not die because of her sickness, but because she was tortured.”[6] |
iNews Readers, your action is urgently needed – Malaysia’s Attorney General has given until next week for an appeal to be filed against the Court of Appeal’s decision to acquit Adelina’s employer of murder. Sign the petition today to keep up the pressure and demonstrate public support!
Today, demand justice for Adelina and stand in solidarity with all domestic workers calling for better protections from exploitation and abuse.
| Miriam Karmali Advocacy, Freedom United |
