Kids today have it lucky — the ancient Asian-style disciplinary method of getting fiery chilli padi (or bird’s eye chili for the unfamiliar) rubbed on our lips is not as prevalent as it was before. Unfortunately, a seven-year-old girl had the traumatic experience of getting the spicy pod stuffed into her mouth earlier this year at the hands of her caretaker.

Indonesian domestic helper Hamida, 33, was slapped with a six-month jail term after admitting to ill-treating the young daughter of her employers, Channel NewsAsia reported. The woman had inflicted cruel punishments upon the girl when her parents were out of the house.

The court heard that the incident took place on Jul 29 this year, when Hamida was at home with the victim and her older sister, aged nine. The younger sibling had wet herself and couldn’t answer the domestic helper when the woman questioned the girl about why her pants were soiled. Hamida was further incensed that the girl had also refused to do her homework.

The girl was then subjected to sadistic punishments. The domestic helper grabbed a piece of chilli padi (CNA reported it to be 1cm to 2cm in length) and stuffed it into the victim’s mouth. The prosecution pointed out that this was an element of cruelty, as Hamida knew the girl was afraid of spicy food.

The woman then caned the girl on her shoulder and used a 1.3kg wooden scratching board for cats to hit the side of the girl’s head.

Her older sister immediately told their mother about what happened when she returned home. The police were alerted and Hamida was arrested.

Prior to her offense, the Indonesian had worked for the family for seven years. Unrepresented in court, she had nothing to say in her defense.

This article, Jailed: Indonesian domestic helper who stuffed a chilli padi into child’s mouth as punishment, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia's leading alternative media company. For more Coconuts stories, you can download our app, sign up for our newsletters, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.