Heartbreaking Viral Photo Reveals the Lonely Life of a Maid

A young maid watching her employers enjoy a meal at a restaurant in Indonesia has touched a chord in among netizens after an image of the “dehumanizing” scene went viral online.

The moment, captured by Facebook user Michael Fanny, shows a young domestic helper sitting alone at a separate table while her employer’s family eat their meal.

Michael wrote a caption on the photo (as translated by Coconuts Jakarta):

“Your pembantu (helper) is part of your life. a reflection of your humanity. Imagine you are in their position, no phone to hold, not invited to eat, Eyes just looking around. They chew while we swallow.

We must respect and love our maids, our drivers, our gardeners…

Life is not about profits and loss, it is not about ourselves … By sharing a little of what we have then we are sharing the love of God. #respectotherpeople #respectourmaid #respectourdriver #loveotherpeople #Godislove

Life is born of giving.”

Fanny’s post has been shared over 57,000 times since it was posted back in September and social media users have expressed their sympathy for the helper and agreed with Michael’s message.

In Indonesia, young women from rural areas travel to the huge cities to become domestic helpers and earn money for their families back home.

As the supposed maid could have been just a customer waiting for her food to come, NextShark has sought Mr. Fanny for comment. We will update the story as it develops.