In the face of stiff competition, some agencies have their maids sitting in front of windows, often dressed in identical uniforms.

Mostly shy and some as young as 19, they sit without moving or talking as strangers peer at them.

"It presents a good opportunity for potential employers who can just walk in and interview them in person," an agency spokesman told the newspaper Today, "better than looking at a photo."

Some observers compared the scene to prostitutes who appear in window displays in the red-light districts of Amsterdam or Russia. Others expressed concern about displaying maids as commodities.

Margaret Thomas, vice-president of the Association of Women for Action and Research, called the practise "appalling."

"The domestic workers are not accorded even basic human dignity," she was quoted as saying. – dpa

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