A Filipino mother-of-one yesterday became the first domestic helper to sue for disability discrimination after being allegedly sacked for having a deformed hand.
Beatriz Madriaga Cabanilla, 30, claims her former employer sacked her on her third day at work when she saw her three-fingered left hand, which was deformed at birth but functional.
In a writ filed in the District Court yesterday, the maid said she had worked for three other employers without any problems.
'I can do everything with my left hand. This is the first and only time I'm discriminated against because of it,' she told the Post.
Ms Cabanilla was bottle-feeding her former employer's one-year-old son on the evening of July 4 when her ex-boss saw the maid's hand and 'expressed revulsion', according to the writ.
Ms Cabanilla said she tried in vain to show she could fulfil her duties despite the deformity, but she was sacked two days later.
Her former employer's husband allegedly told the maid they could not get her insured because of her condition. However, her previous employers had been able to get her insured, Ms Cabanilla told the Post.