Govt Doing Little to Protect Us From Abusive Maids, Employers Say - Saudi Arabia BARF Alert

Arab News (Saudi Arabia) ^ | 8 jul 06 | Anon

[white trash redneck]

What an incredible snapshot of dysfunctional Saudi society this gives! And the whining tone is priceless.

Apparently in SA one is not even free to choose the terms of one's employment. I doubt these maids had violated contracts, otherwise the article would have mentioned this, in addition to these unfortunate women's other "sins."

[Seruzawa]

Horrors! How dreadful! What must these poor abused Saudis put up with? A shortage of caviar? How sad.

[nuconvert]

"Cases of Asian maids running away and leaving their employers in desperate situations ..."

My first big laugh of the morning.
Thank you

[kittymyrib]

This Saudi crisis, of maids refusing to be used as slaves, is much more upsetting to their society and government than the fact that they are a breeding ground for murderous fanatics who are the scourge of the planet. If we can engineer our way out of our oil economy, we will not have to deal with these insane tribesmen in the future. I'd gladly pay an extra 25 cents a gallon for gas just for that pleasure.

[white trash redneck]

Exactly. Though I can't see my way through to the end, I would love to see the civilized world develop a non petroleum based energy economy which would leave the towelheads' economy dependent on the camel trade.

[TomGuy]

While on holiday they met a potential housemaid who they employed for a month to see how she worked. Rashed and his family found the woman well behaved, hard working and displaying good manners but as soon as the family brought the woman to Riyadh she vanished into thin air.

Rashed was left heartbroken and upset. “She tricked us, she had it all planned,” he said.

Where's my tissue? That story literally brought tears to my eyes. Maybe she was just a 'fig'ment of their imaginations. I can't see the monitor; I can't stop laughing.

[TomGuy]

Many maids enter the Kingdom legally and then run away to work in lucrative illegal networks to be paid up to SR1,200 a month.

Hey Vincente Fox!!!

[DejaJude]

I'm curious as to why they want indentured servants from Asia. Are there no Saudi women that will work as maids? Why go to the time and expense of importing them?

[TomGuy]

The Ministry of Social Affairs and police deal with the responsibility of runaway maids at the Center for Maids Affairs.

Mattie 'the Maid' Albright should have set up such an office at the State Department.

[Unbelievable that a government would have an official Center for Maids Affairs. And they call us decadent and infidels.]

[Gay State Conservative]

According to Al-Watan newspaper, many Saudis complain that the Ministry of Labor is doing very little to protect their rights as more and more maids run away.

As in every other aspect of life,islam has the answer.Seize these ungrateful infidels and give them 50 lashes...for a first offense.

For a second offense...stoning in front of the village mosque.

[mtbopfuyn]

a working woman and mother of a three-year-old, complained of her housemaid who ran away a week after her brother’s maid disappeared leaving her in a desperate situation of having to juggle household chores with work and children

Oh, the horrors!

[nuconvert]

LoL

[VeritatisSplendor]

I wonder how much it does cost to bring a maid in - air fare, agency fees, gov't bond and permit. Of course all these get withheld from the maid's salary...but if she jumps ship early the poor employer is out some money! So hard to get good help...

Mrs VS

[Brooklyn Kid]

"Center for Maids Affairs"

Ha Ha Ha!

[SampleMan]

Substitute "slave" for "maid" and the article makes more sense from the Saudi perspective.

[concrete is my business]

It does not say where they went on holiday to find their maid.

I am guessing the Philippines where Islam is on the march.

I doubt the maids hired offshore are required to be Muslims.

I am guessing most are infidels with no legal status once they are in SA and thus the special government department to deal with problems.

IMO these maids relationships with their employers is close to what many of us would call slavery.

[Sender]

...leaving her in a desperate situation of having to juggle household chores with work and children.

A desperate situation of chores, work and children? Tell that to any American woman.

[elhombrelibre]

Saudis whining about the servant problem is rich with irony. Most of these loafers won't hit a lick of work but become desperate if the Filipinas hit the road. Shocking. The horor. The horor.

[Sender]

That is about the size of it, it is institutionalized slavery. No doubt many of these maids are routinely asked to perform "other duties" for their male owners.

[mpoulin]

The Ministry of Social Affairs and police deal with the responsibility of runaway maids at the Center for Maids Affairs. The center employs receptionists to follow up complaints and a number of female workers supervise detained maids and ensure the women are given food and shelter.

As opposed to what? Being starved and beaten?