“Who will hire me, with an arm like this?” says Maria (not her real name) during her first meeting with TWC2 at a coffee shop near Paya Lebar metro station. Maria is seeking our help after finding out that her employer was letting her go while keeping the dog that mauled Maria’s arm a few months earlier. 

Removing the black arm sleeve from her right arm, the scars left by the animal’s attack are revealed. “Before I was very strong. I could carry heavy things. But now my arm is not the same. I feel pain, and my arm feels numb and weak.”

After a short conversation, it becomes clear to us that Maria’s biggest concern is not about having to live with the dog that almost ripped her arm off or having a disfigured arm. What bothers her most is the idea of losing her source of income and being unable to support her only daughter’s education.

Maria started working for the Koh family as a migrant domestic worker in late 2022. She had no complaints about the family — except for one: their pet dog, Jackson. (All names have been changed).

Jackson was a relatively large dog, and Maria was tasked with its general care, including daily walks and feedings. Jackson occasionally showed aggressive behaviour, especially toward Maria. Within a few months after his arrival, Jackson bit Maria three times, causing minor injuries. She also recalls Jackson biting the family’s other dog, Pochie, a smaller breed.

Despite the three biting incidents, Maria felt compelled to continue working for the family to support her school-going daughter in the Philippines. She knew that even if she wanted to transfer to another employer, there was no guarantee that Mr Koh would allow it. Without the current employer’s consent, work permit holders in Singapore are not allowed to change employers. The only alternative would be repatriation, which would inevitably lead to a loss of income for at least a few months and the need to pay agent fees to return to Singapore.

The attack

Shortly into the second year working for the Koh family, Jackson was particularly agitated early one morning, restrained only by a safety gate. When Mr Koh opened the gate, Jackson shot out, charging at Maria and viciously mauling her right forearm. Blood poured from the deep wounds. It was a scene of horror.

Mr Koh managed to pull Jackson away and secure him back inside the enclosure. Moments later, Mrs Koh entered the room after hearing the commotion and inexplicably opened the gate. With renewed fury, Jackson launched another attack on Maria. This time, its bites penetrated deeply, tearing through muscle.

The family rushed Maria to the hospital, where she underwent an emergency operation and spent three harrowing days hospitalised.

On discharge, Maria’s heart sank when she realised the family was keeping Jackson despite what had happened. The only adjustment made was that she was no longer required to walk Jackson after the attack. Maria had little choice except to stay in employment with the Koh family. She had to, in order to support her daughter, whose education depended entirely on Maria’s $700 monthly salary. 

Then in an utterly disheartening turn of events, about three months later, the Kohs told Maria that they were letting her go. Maria was given the choice to return to the Philippines or transfer to a new employer.

Transfer? Who would employ her with her arm like that?

Furthermore, she still had upcoming medical appointments. Singapore’s law requires employers of Work Permit holders to cover their medical bills. Transferring would mean the new employer would have to cover her future medical expenses and accept that Maria’s impaired right arm would limit her abilities.

Maria reached out to TWC2 for help after her kind neighbour, who had heard about the incident, told her about the organisation.

We learned from our conversations with Maria that the incident left her not only with unsightly scars but also with residual pain and weakness in her right forearm. She also started having nightmares, flashbacks, and physical reactions to the sight of large dogs on the street. (These symptoms would later be diagnosed as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder.) The incident also left her emotionally vulnerable. She would cry every time she discussed and relived the horrific incident.

Maria also told TWC2 that her employer had flatly refused to pay compensation for her suffering and permanent damage to her arm.

TWC2 brought her case to the attention of Pro Bono SG, the Law Society’s charitable arm, and sought legal advice. Having determined that she had reasonable grounds to sue her employer for personal injury caused by negligence, Maria filed a lawsuit against Mr and Mrs Koh with the help of a pro bono lawyer assigned by Pro Bono SG’s Ad Hoc Legal Aid scheme.

Finding a lawyer was only the first step. To substantiate her claim with evidence, Maria had to take many steps over the following twelve months. Many of these steps, which are explained below, were costly and complicated, and Maria had to rely entirely on TWC2’s support. She could not work in Singapore during this time, and her daughter had to skip meals.

Medical evidence and more

For the lawsuit, Maria had to obtain medical reports from the hospital where she received the operation and follow-up treatment. This required emailing, calling the hospital, and paying the related fees, which Maria could not do independently due to her limited English proficiency and lack of money. Instead, TWC2 did all that on her behalf. In addition, as we suspected that Maria was psychologically harmed by the incident, upon the lawyer’s advice, we found a psychiatrist who agreed to see her on short notice (as her repatriation date was nearing).

Even after she went home, more medical reports were asked for. We had to find doctors with the right qualifications in the Philippines for her to consult and undergo tests. Since Maria lived in a small town, we had to arrange for long distance bus travel and overnight accommodation when she needed to be at the doctor’s. All the consultation and medical reports and related fees (including long-distance bus fare to the hospital and the deposit needed for opening a bank account in the Philippines) amounted to more than $4,000, even with the generous discount the doctors gave Maria after hearing about her unfortunate circumstances. TWC2 covered all these costs.

Mediation

After Maria obtained all the necessary documents, mediation was arranged. Mediation is a cost-effective, time-saving alternative way to resolve disputes. Parties to a lawsuit try to settle the matter privately instead of going to trial.

The lawyer advised Maria that it would be best if she could return to Singapore to attend the mediation. Facing Mr Koh and having her case heard would also give her a better chance of closure. Maria agreed to return to Singapore and TWC2 covered the costs of that.

To everyone’s relief, Maria and her former employer reached an amicable settlement (the amount remains confidential). This ended Maria’s anguish about her future; she had also been worried about her ability to support her daughter’s education. 

Further thoughts

It took Maria 18 months to finally resolve the claim against the employer over the traumatising incident with Jackson. Even so, she is left with long-lasting injury to her arm and psychological effects.

Behind the scenes, Maria was helped by many: the pro-bono lawyers who tirelessly worked to represent her; the Tagalog interpreters who helped Maria in many meetings; TWC2’s volunteers who accompanied her to medical appointments; TWC2 caseworkers who liaised with the lawyers, doctors and medical record offices; another NGO (HOME) who offered her place to stay when she returned to Singapore for the mediation.

But, as a much as the outcome seems satisfactory, the incident should never have happened in the first place. She would not have suffered the injury if she could have quit a job she didn’t feel safe in. The dog had been aggressive and had bitten her a few times before. On paper, she was free to resign, but in the real world she could only do so if she was able to freely transfer to another job. Requiring her to obtain her employer’s permission before she could look for a new job was a serious impediment. Without her employer’s permission to change jobs, she would have been sent home after resigning, only to have to pay agents all over again for a new job (after several months of unemployment). This was not a practical option. And that meant Maria was stuck in an unsafe and toxic work environment.

Maria’s case highlights how Singapore law restricting job mobility for Work Permit holders put lives and limbs at risk. Migrant workers should not have to bear recruitment fees and Singapore needs to clamp down on this common practice. The burden of debt makes it difficult for workers to leave unsafe and toxic work places.

Secondly, migrant workers should also be free to change jobs without having to obtain employers’ consent. This is already the case in Qatar (see this ILO paper and this), and Singapore should follow suit.

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