Housemaids: Are they an evil lot?

The video of an 18-month Ugandan toddler who was brutally tortured by her helper which went viral on social media has been received with utter rage, with some still insisting that domestic workers are 'evil.'

The baby girl, Arnella Kamanzi left under the care of her nanny, Jolly Tumuhirwe when after vomiting, the helper unleashed a series of brutal attacks on her.

Tumuhirwe was caught on camera, savagely slapping the child, viciously throwing her to the floor and using a blunt object to forcefully beat her while she continuously stepped on the toddler's tiny body.

The video, about four minutes,  which went viral last week has got people reinforcing widely held, but not proven claims that domestic workers abuse children left under their care.

Zimbabwe Domestic Allied Workers Union (ZDAWU) has said while it does not condone any form of abuse, employers have a mandate to follow procedure when employing house maids.

"It is a trend that employers take short cuts when they recruit maids, this culminates in a lot of problems for either the employer or employee, so it is important for proper steps to be followed," said ZDAWU secretary general Hillarius Ruyi.

He said employers should conduct thorough background checks of their prospective house maid employees and this can be done through reputable organisations such as the Zimbabwe Republic police.

"One has to check for any criminal records as well as other underlying medical conditions that may cause problems for  one to execute their duty as a house maid," said Ruyi.

He said in some cases where house maids exhibit peculiar  behaviours, "it will be because of retaliation to an unresolved issue where employees have a grievance."

"Sometimes mistreatment of employees by their employers could result some misunderstandings as well, so this issue is a tricky one."

Ruyi said in a scale between one and 10, abuse perpetrated by house maids, Zimbabwe would score two.

"There could be similar cases here in Zimbabwe, but I don't think they are very significant, unless they are not being reported," said Ruyi.

Some local social media activists reacted to the video, describing it as horrific.

"As horrific as it is it just teaches us that not everyone we trust and delegate our parental responsibilities to will do it with parental or even human love. Lets be diligent," posted on Facebook user.

Another Facebook user wrote: "I watched the video and got very cross. I imagined my boy being abused like that. I am certain that if she were my maid she wouldn't serve a jail term, as l would after beating her up.

"Its important to always listen to our kids as they communicate in their own ways and to take time to scrutinise their reaction when the maid is around as it means a lot," read the post.

A parent, Tapelo Dube told Radio Dialogue that he has witnessed that kind of abuse in his home.

"Our daughter was so scared of the maid because of the beatings in our absence. As parents I believe we must not even trust anyone with our kids. Make sure the bond is strong between you and them to see any slight changes or signs of abuse."