TWENTY-EIGHT-YEAR-OLD Selvi's life has been one of woe. Born to an impoverished family in Andhra Pradesh, she was forced to marry her elderly uncle at the tender age of 16.

The marriage did not work out and she returned home only to find that her parents were too old and ill to care for her any more.

They took a loan against their house in order to pay an agent to find her a job in Malaysia. Her eyes filled with tears as she recounted the nightmarish events that followed.

"The agent told me there were many jobs in Malaysia and that I would be paid RM500 a month.

"I arrived in November 2006 and began working for a family in Pantai Dalam." Selvi said she not only had to take care of the chores, but also look after the family's two young children.

Her day would start at 4am and only end at 1am.

She was made to hand-wash the clothes even though they had a washing machine and lay out her bosses' shoes when they went to work. She was only given leftovers to eat.

"After a few months, I found that they were sending my parents RM350 monthly instead of the RM500 as promised.

"When I asked my employer about it, I was slapped until my nose bled."

The abuse continued despite Selvi begging to be allowed to return to India until last year when she was thrown out.

Selvi's experience has left her scarred and full of painful memories. "Malaysia is a horrible place and I never want to come back."