In the wake of the case of Myanmar domestic worker Piang Ngaih Don, Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) noted on Thursday (25 Feb) that many have reached out to the organisation expressing their desire to help and support Piang’s family.
Piang, 24-year-old, was starved and abused by her employer Gaiyathiri Murugayan until she weighed 24kg days before she died in 2016 from a brain injury. The deceased foreign domestic worker had lost 38 per cent of her body weight since she started working with the family on 28 May 2015.
On Tuesday (23 Feb), Gaiyathiri pleaded guilty to 28 charges including culpable homicide, voluntarily causing grievous hurt by starvation and wrongful restraint. She also admitted to starving, abusing, and chaining Piang who was under her employment for 10 months.
Following the case, HOME said it has received numerous messages and calls asking whether the organisation would do fundraising to help the family of the deceased Piang.
“Thank you to everyone who has reached out to express your sadness at the news of Phiang’s abuse. We all grieve her death. Let us remember her and ensure that no other domestic worker faces her predicament,” it said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
Describing the community’s desire to help and support Piang’s family as truly moving, HOME has decided to assist in transferring donations from members of the public to her family.
“While we are not doing a fundraising drive, HOME will be assisting in making a transfer of funds from members of the public who wish to donate to her family,” it said.
Members of the public who wish to make donations to Piang’s family are encouraged to donate to HOME via PayNow – UEN T04SS0193H – and indicate “PND” in the reference section.
All the funds will go directly to Piang’s family, HOME stated.