This is a dreadful and cautionary tale: a 30-year-old woman gets duped into bonded labour after she went abroad to work as a domestic help. She suffers both physical and mental abuse in the households where she is employed. The shocking incident, published by this paper on Tuesday, calls into question the integrity of not just the recruiting agencies but also the whole system responsible for helping women find employment overseas. 

It is also a reminder of the dangers of overseas employment. Female domestic workers leaving home to work abroad often suffer serious abuse at the hands of their employers. They are forced to stay on because their families need the money they earn. Thus it is the responsibility of the government to make sure that no one takes advantage of their desperation and that the perpetrators of domestic abuse and their collaborators in the recruiting agencies are held accountable. This will be possible if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, and other related organisations collaborate in keeping a tight rein on the entire recruitment process, and coordinate with their counterparts in the destination countries to make employers respect labour rights. 

That said, if our past experiences with overseas employment are any indication, not all jobs are for female workers. So the government needs to find suitable employment for them and ensure their safety before allowing them to proceed overseas.