Masters and servants!
I was pleased to hear of the attempt to get a reasonable contract between employers and domestic servants. May I suggest another clause.
I was told by a Chinese lady, resident here since she was a child, that when her parents could afford a driver and a maidservant, they said to their new servants, in front of their children, “If my children are rude to you in any way, we want to know. Is that clear?” Thus the children were brought up to be, like their parents, those who respected the servants' right to be treated humanely.
I see for myself how some very small children manipulate their ayahs to do what they want as these poor girls, sometimes only teenagers, fear that the screaming and accusations of a small child whom they are attempting to control will lead to loss of job. I know that many servants do not report what the children of the house do and say to them, for fear of reprisals.
I know that there is an epidemic, at the moment, of underage boys bribing and threatening their drivers to let them drive their parent's cars and the result of one such escapade was a very serious accident which was dealt with, unfortunately, by a bribe to a seriously wounded student, not to bring a charge.
It is no use trying to enable good relations between adult employers and servants if Young Sir and Young Madam are not included in this 'contract'. After all, they too have the right to be educated in moral behaviour and not left to the forces of the jungle.
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