We trust nannies and maids with the most precious things to us in the world - our children. Of course, we interview, screen and monitor them before employing them, but sometimes they do the unthinkable.
Previously, we've brought you stories of a maid who slept with her employer's neighbour, one who was caught slapping her employer's child, and another one who ran away in the middle of the night.
Now, another story was brought to our attention, this time from Taiwan.
Taiwanese media and The Straits Times have reported on a nanny who has been accused of drinking her employer's expressed breastmilk instead of feeding the milk to the 2-month-old baby in her care.
Caught on camera
The nanny's employer Ms Lin, who lives in Taiwan's Kaohsiung city, first drew attention to the incident via a Facebook post.
Now, her experience has been covered widely by Taiwanese news agencies.
Here's what happened...
Ms Lin reportedly hired this nanny because she was recommended by her confinement nurse. The nanny was employed to look after Ms Lin's second child - just two months old.
Ms Lin accuses the nanny of drinking the remaining breastmilk which was in the bottle the baby was drinking from, instead of letting the baby finish it.
Video footage from Ms Lin's CCTV camera shows the nanny feeding the baby milk from a bottle. She's then seen taking the bottle out of the child's mouth and taking the cap off. After this, she looks at the camera before taking the bottle and baby to another room, where she has been accused of drinking the milk.
Taiwanese media have reported Ms Lin as saying that the nanny noted down consistently that the baby finished the 150cc of breastmilk.
But she claims the nanny was the one finishing it, going to places in the house where there was no CCTV coverage in order to do so.
The nanny has reportedly confessed to drinking the milk, saying she drank "only a bit" and that Ms Lin was "petty" (according to screenshots of messages between Ms Lin and her).
The nanny is also reported to have said her previous employer allowed her to take breast milk home and even encouraged her to drink it, "if she dared".
While the nanny was reported to the city's Social Affairs Bureau, her licence has not been taken away because it was deemed she caused no harm to the child.
She now reportedly works in a kindergarten.
Should you install CCTV to 'keep an eye' on your maid?
This decision is totally up to you. But if, as employers, you do decide to install CCTV at home, here are some points to keep in mind:
- Do not install the CCTV in private places: The helper's bedroom and toilet should be free of CCTV cameras. Only install surveillance in public places, like the living room and kitchen.
- Inform and educate the maid: Unless you suspect she is abusing your child and want to catch her in the act, it's best to tell her why you have installed CCTV and where the cameras are. By doing this, she is informed and this will help build trust between the two of you.
- CCTV is best only if young kids are involved: Older children can talk and tell you if something amiss.
You can watch Ms Lin's video here.
*This article is from our archives.
Reference: The Straits Times, Image source from Facebook screengrab
