Plea for help from a hidden mobile phone

By ARJUWAN LAKKDAWALA | ARAB NEWS

JEDDAH: Amina spends each day fearing for her life. “If they find out I’ve spoken to the press my life could be in danger,” Amina told Arab News in a recent telephone interview.

Amina, which is not her real name, was brought to the Kingdom from India almost a year ago to work as a maid for a family in Ahsa, Eastern Province, and it wasn’t long before it became evident that her sponsor and his wife were far from kind in their treatment of maids.

“They beat me mercilessly till blood came out of my face. If you were here, you would see my face is swollen and there is a gash on my head,” she said.

Amina also claims that her host family has brought others to the Kingdom and has farmed them out to work in other people’s homes for profit.

“They bring maids and then force them to work in other people’s homes and charge SR100 per day,” she said.

“If somebody is sick and needs a maid, or if someone has a big occasion and they need a maid, they send us to work for them. They don’t give us a single riyal for that work.”

She also claims her sponsor is charging SR10,000 for others to use the maids for months at a time.

The practice of sponsors sending maids to work for others is illegal under Saudi labor law.

“There was a Nepalese maid who they abused a lot, and now they have brought a Sri Lankan maid who like me they beat. They have not paid her either. She still hasn’t learned Arabic or how to properly cook Arab dishes. After she learns they will make her work in other homes too.”

In addition to suffering physical abuse since her arrival, she says she only received five months of salary and is kept under lock and key. She was only able to contact Arab News after one of the people she was sent out to work for gave her a mobile phone after learning of the abusive treatment. Amina has kept the phone hidden from her sponsor.

Amina is pleading that authorities help her return to India and escape her abusive sponsor: “This man should not be allowed to bring maids as he abuses them and takes their labor fares.”

 

Comments

HASSAN

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It's against islamic law as well as Human law. THe sponsors should not be forgiven.

M.Z.A.K

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Contact the Counslate General of India, Jeddah for help and request for immidiate help and that this is an urgent emergency required and needed to be send back to India with out any delays

AISHA C.

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What a shame --if this is the case. However, some of these maids just want to go back home after you invest about 10,000sr to bring them over. Somtimes they miss their families or they just dont want to work for that family.Whatever the case may be, bringing a maid or driver over is always a gamble because you dont know what their real motive or intentions are. If maids decide that they dont want the job once they get to the kingdom, then they should be made to make up the loss to the families that invest their money in bringing them over-bottom line!

RASHID AHMED

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This man should be hanged. People like this mentality should not live in our society.
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