A total of 18.716 foreign maids reportedly fled from their employers last year.Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Maznah Mazlan said the total of 17.205 persons or 92.3 per cent were from Indonesia.
''Number of foreign maids in Malaysia as of December stood at 247.069 persons and 76.7 per cent were from Indonesia, "he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
He answered questions Lim Lip Eng (DAP-Segambut), which urged the government to state the measures to overcome the problem of Indonesian maids who often run away from the employer.
According to Maznah, the government has taken several actions to address the issue including the signing of the Protocol on Amendment of the Memorandum of Understanding between Malaysia and Indonesia on the issue of employment of foreign maids Indonesia in Bandung on 30 May.
He said, protocols that can provide adequate protection to employers in Malaysia to hire maids Indonesia and at the same time ensuring the welfare of maids reserved.
He said based on the protocol, an employer is entitled to the replacement maid employed if the maid ran away in the first six months of employment.
In addition, he said, biometric systems are implemented Ministry began June 1 and will also allow the maid who ran away from their employers if they are detected apply to work with another employer.
''In fact, the Labour Department also organized a seminar and dialogue on foreign maids every month throughout the country in an effort to address such problems.
''Since March 2010, a total of 89 seminars and dialogues held and attended by 1.869 and 1,650 employers of foreign domestic workers and 365 agency jobs, "he said.
