TIME'S TOP 100: ‘Tortured’ Indonesian Maid Listed [PICTURE]

Time magazine has named an Indonesian maid allegedly tortured by her Hong Kong employer as one of the world’s 100 most influential people, putting the spotlight on the city’s treatment of its migrant workers.

Erwiana Sulistyaningsih, 23, reportedly suffered months of abuse in a case which has renewed concerns over the treatment of domestic helpers in the southern Chinese city and sparked angry protests.

Time magazine hailed Sulistyaningsih’s bravery in speaking out against her employer and pushing for laws that better protect maids in Hong Kong.

“It is brave women like her who speak up for the voiceless who will create lasting change,” Cambodian activist Somaly Mam said of Sulistyaningsih in the list published on Thursday.

Time’s recognition of Sulistyaningsih brings international attention to the treatment of migrant domestic workers in the city, Hong Kong-based Asian Migrants’

Law Wan-tung, a 44-year old Hong Kong mother-of-two has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm to Sulistyaningsih.

Prosecutors have alleged that Wan-tung turned household items such as a mop, a ruler and a clothes hanger into “weapons” against Sulistyaningsih.

She was also charged with common assault and four counts of criminal intimidation. The charges were related either to Sulistyaningsih or to her two previous Indonesian domestic helpers.

Indonesian maid Erwiana Sulistyaningsih sits in a wheelchair at a hospital in Sragen after she was allegedly tortured in Hong Kong.

Indonesian maid Erwiana Sulistyaningsih sits in a wheelchair at a hospital in Sragen after she was allegedly tortured in Hong Kong.

The trial has been adjourned to 29 April, with officials awaiting the maid’s medical records from Indonesia.

Sulistyaningsih was admitted to hospital in Sragen, on Indonesia’s main island of Java, in critical condition after returning from Hong Kong in January.

The Asian financial hub is home to nearly 300,000 maids, mainly from Indonesia and the Philippines, and criticism from rights groups over their treatment is growing.

Amnesty International in November condemned the “slavery-like” conditions faced by thousands of Indonesian domestic helpers in Hong Kong and accused authorities of “inexcusable” inaction.

Time magazine’s list also included Pakistan’s Malala Yousafzai, who survived a Taliban attack in 2012 when she was shot in the head by the militants for campaigning for girls’ education.