Domestic worker charged with child abuse after 23-month-old girl scalded

Skip to content A domestic worker has been charged with child abuse after a Hong Kong family alleged to police that their 23-month-old girl had been scalded by hot water while in her care. Khumaeroh, a 30-year-old domestic worker from Indonesia, appeared at the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Court on Friday morning, Ming Pao reported. Many Indonesians go by one name. Tuen Mun Law Courts Building. Photo: WikiCommons. She was charged with one count of “ill-treatment or neglect by those who have custody, charge or care of child or young person,” commonly known as child abuse. The defendant was assisted by an Indonesian interpreter in the courtroom. The defence made no application for bail, and the defendant was remanded in custody pending trial. Police said in a statement on Thursday that a foreign female worker was arrested earlier that day, after officers received a report from a father the day before. The man said both of his young daughter’s hands were badly scalded by hot water in the family’s village house in Yuen Long. The girl’s parents suspected their child had been abused by their domestic helper while they were out at work. The child suffered second-degree burns and was sent to Tuen Mun Hospital for treatment, where she is currently being kept for observation. An offence of ill-treatment or neglect by those who have custody, charge or care of child or young person carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Make a one-off donation. Irene Chan is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press and has an interest in covering political and social change. She previously worked at Initium Media as chief editor for Hong Kong news and was a community organiser at the Society for Community Organisation serving the underprivileged. She has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Fudan University and a master’s degree in social work from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Irene is the recipient of two Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) awards and three honourable mentions for her investigative, feature and video reporting. She also received a Human Rights Press Award for multimedia reporting and an honourable mention for feature writing. More by Irene Chan