"We have some cases of abuse which we prosecute but it's no measured realistic portrayal of what happened in Singapore in terms of how we treat our migrant domestic workers," Manpower Minister Ng Eng Hen told BBC Radio according to transcripts released to the media.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said Tuesday maids in Singapore suffered serious abuses including sexual violence, food deprivation and home lock-ups, triggering a strong denial from the government.

The group's executive director Kenneth Roth said maids are not covered by Singapore's Employment Act and Workmen's Compensation Act which would give them many of the legal protections accorded to other foreign workers.

Ng however disputed the charges saying they are protected by the Employment of Foreign Workers Act which forbids employers from bullying their maids.

According to Ng, the legislation "prescribes that they must not be ill-treated and exploited... salary must be paid on time, adequate rest, adequate housing."

They are also covered under the Personal Accident Insurance policy that employers must buy for S$10,000 (US$5917) before they can hire domestic maids, he said.

Ng also reiterated that the government does not tolerate maid abuse and has taken actions to punish employers guilty of ill-treating their domestic helpers.

"We have never claimed that there are no abuses. What we said is that our laws are transparent, and we follow through with enforcement with great vigor," he said.

About 150,000 women work as maids in Singapore, most of them from impoverished villages in the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

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