Experts pointed out that although awareness against repression on domestic helps has increased, the crime still continues at the same rate.

Data from various institutions reveals that repression occurs mostly in the city, but only a few cases have been lodged and a handful of the alleged offenders have been arrested.

Both Moni Mala, 15, and Madhabi Majhi, 12, were pushed off the building on September 17. While the body of the former was recovered by the police from a plot adjacent to the employer Kalpana Majumder's residence on information from the neighbours, people in the area rushed the latter to the National Institute of Traumatology & Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (NITOR) in a critical condition.

Both Mala and Madhabi were brought from Nilphamari and had been working at Kalpana's house for over a year. On the day the incident occurred according to Madhabi, Kalpana had woken them up very early morning, took them to the roof and pushed them down. She also said Kalpana used to beat them up frequently. Mukta, a 10-year-old girl who also works in Kalpana's house, said that her employer woke the two girls up very early, but does not know what happened after that.

Kalpana, however, denied the allegations, police said. She said that she does not know how Moni died and how Madhabi got injured.

"For the last few days, they had been wanting to go to their homes in Nilphamari," Kalpana said.

Dhanmondi police took Kalpana and her husband Sunil Kumar Majumder, a bank official, into custody and filed a murder case against Kalpana.

Data collected by Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies, (BILS) based on the news published in the national and local newspapers revealed that in last five years (2000-2005) at least 353 domestics had been victims of brutal repression.

In the city alone, the number reported is 171. Among these victims, 169 were killed, 122 critically injured and 52 raped. The BILS study also revealed that among those repressed workers 62 percent were children.

In Dhaka, during the first half of this year at least 33 domestic helps were victims of repression with seven rape cases while 13 were killed, according to BILS. Another study by the Mass Line Centre revealed that in 2005 only six cases were lodged against the repressions occurred in Dhaka and only five were arrested.

Syed Sultanuddin Ahmmed, assistant executive director of BILS told Star City that no development has taken place so far to protect domestic helps despite the increase in public awareness.

He said: "No prevailing law or social act, even the most recent labour law has recognised domestic helps under the labour category and paved way to protect these workers from repression."

Nehal Karim, professor of social science, Dhaka University (DU) said: "Poor sense of humanitarian dignity between employers and employees is the cause behind this abusive relationship and both sides suffer as a result."

Nehal also said that organisational development of these workers, and building a sense of dignity in any profession along with proper policy for informal labour could be a way to solve the problem.

"Worker repression and deprivation could be the cause leading to the employer's ruin," he said adding that there were lots of housekeepers in the capital who cannot maintain there domestic helps for even three months at a stretch.

"Domestic help plays a key role in household duties and if the role get disturbed the entire household is disturbed. It could disturb your materialistic whereabouts, social prestige or family relations. So there is no chance of neglecting the role of the help,' Nehal said.

When asked what happens to such cases, a police office of the Motijheel police station said that they often rescue repressed domestic helps, if they are informed. He said usually the repressors manage to cajole the guardians of these workers, resulting in no action taken against the offenders.