A video of an elderly employer beating her young domestic help black and blue for "poor quality of work" has gone viral and sparked widespread condemnation on social media.
The video from Hong Kong was posted on the Facebook page of Time News International on February 28. It shows the employer berating, thrashing and threatening the Indonesian maid.
"I really want to kill you. I'll die with you," the employer was heard saying in the video.
The 79-year-old woman was arrested in Wong Tai Sin on March 1 for common assault and criminal intimidation, reported The China Morning Post.
The 12-minute video, which has gained more than 800,000 views since it first appeared, started with the elderly woman storming into a room where the 35-year old maid was lying down. She starts beating the young woman who argues by saying she is always shouted at for trivial matters.
The victim lies on the bed and seems eager to end the argument but her employer keeps showering blows on her and shakes her while saying: "You intend to irritate me".
The Indonesian is then seen sitting up while the exchange of words continues. The employer is heard asking the maid to resign to which, she replies back saying it is not her fault.
"I know your plan. If I fire you, you will get compensation," screamed the older woman, as reported.
The employer is also seen pulling the maid by hand to take her to the police, but when the latter refuses, she is hit again.
The video ends with the accused leaving the room after threatening her by saying: "I would hack you to death if I don't have to be sent to jail".
The video has been shared more than 29,000 times and has garnered 10,000 reactions. While some sympathized with the maid's condition, a few others said both of the parties were at fault.
However, this is not the first time a maid was assaulted in Hong Kong. In 2015, a Hong Kong woman was found guilty of assaulting another Indonesian maid. The case came to light when pictures of the maid's scars began circulating among Indonesians in Hong Kong, reported The Guardian.
