Indonesian maid Erwiana says others like her are being abused in Hong Kong

Erwiana Sulistyaningsih greeted the news that her employer had been jailed for six years after subjecting her to months of abuse with a warning: the case was just the tip of the iceberg.

The 24-year-old Indonesian was in the District Court in Wan Chai to see Law Wan-tung sentenced yesterday before joining campaigners outside to call for continued efforts to improve working conditions for Hong Kong's domestic workers.

"I hope that the people in Hong Kong will remain vigilant against slavery and exploitation of migrant domestic workers," she said. "I hope that my sisters and brothers … will have the courage to stand up against exploitation, slavery or any form of oppression."

She added: "I am not the only one who suffered. There are many of us out there."

While Erwiana will remain a symbol of the perils faced by the city's army of domestic workers, she is now studying management and economics after getting a scholarship to Sanata Dharma University in Yogyakarta - five hours from her home village on Java.

It was only when her employer sent her home in January last year that Erwiana's ordeal came to light, when her bruised appearance at Chek Lap Kok raised concern. Before then, Erwiana had been prevented from leaving Law's flat.