Two sisters allegedly suffering mistreatment as maids in Malaysia still have not returned to Cambodia, despite their recruitment agency's pledge that send them there more than two years ago, their mother says.

An Kunthea, 25, and An Sunly, 18, from Kampong Cham, went to work as maids with the Human Resources Development agency on contracts that ended in May.

In September their mother Pov Chhen, 50, alleged that HRD threatened her after she filed a complaint against them to a local NGO, the Community Legal Education Center.

Huy Pich Sovann, program officer at CLEC, who says he is now handling about 70 similar cases, added that Chhen was now in negotiations with anti-trafficking police and an HRD representative.

Chhen says her daughter An Sunly was beaten by HRD staff, a claim the company denies.

“An Sunly called one time and said she was fired by her employer and then she was sent to the agency… (who) beat her,” Pov Chhen said.

“She said it is very difficult and she wants to come back.”

A spokeswoman for the Association of Cambodian Recruitment Agencies, of which HRD is a member, said ACRA had contacted HRD’s director and did not view the case as resolved.

HRD could not be contacted for comment. The government banned sending female workers to Malaysia in October 2011.

To contact the reporters on this story: Sen David at [email protected]