Contrary to prevailing opinion, not all of us Saudis are slave to the notion that a household remains incomplete without a domestic helper. For the past fifteen months, our home has been managing okay without the use of imported household labor, be it domestic or otherwise.
Albeit, there are moments when one wishes for that extra bit of help, but matched against the privacy and freedom to roam about in your own home unfettered, it is no contest. Coupled with the fact that strangers bring in their set of problems and idiosyncrasies, we are doing just fine the way we are, thank you. Self-reliance is a thorny but rewarding act.
Chores are divided between my wife, our 12-year-old boy and myself.
The dictum “clean up as you go” is the general rule. Spring-cleaning is done more frequently than the name implies. Laundry is mostly sent outside, food consists of sandwiches, barbeques or a casserole with steamed vegetables and fresh fruit, or else a quick trip to our favorite neighborhood eatery, Applebee’s.
It may sound unpalatable to a lot of Saudi families, and I am not advocating that all households do away with their domestic staff. There are many working parents with small children who may find it very difficult to live without the services of a domestic. But considering that so much bad press has come in lately concerning domestics and abuse, I believe a rethink by the Labor Ministry is in order.
In the first place, it is an awful strain on a lot of families to go through the recruitment process of importing a domestic helper. You start by shelling out SR2,000 to the government for a labor visa and double that amount to a recruitment agency. Then you wait around for a couple of months before your help arrives. And many times, your new arrival does not match or suit your needs.
A common complaint is a plethora of unscrupulous practices that some recruitment agencies employ, both on potential employer or the employee. Then there are the added costs of medical tests, residency fees, accommodation, etc. There are many families out there who find this an added burden on their modest salaries or living quarters, and yet who cannot do without if both parents are employed.
So what if the Labor Ministry considers a viable alternative? Why not allow existing manpower agencies to bring in domestic staff, trained and bonded, and contract their services to those in need? They are already importing large numbers of office and factory cleaning personnel, training them, accommodating them, and supplying them to companies on contract basis.
The time spent by the prospective employer in running around various ministries and agencies to bring in hired help would be best utilized elsewhere. And the risks of getting someone who does not necessarily meet your needs or runs away for whatever purpose are minimized. You simply march up to the nearest manpower branch and contract out new help.
The manpower agencies should also be entrusted with ensuring that the rights of the domestic helper are honored by the household, as well as quickly find a replacement if the helper is simply not up to par. Families would then have the freedom to choose part-time or full-time help based on their needs and available accommodation.
These same agencies can also check on the physical and mental capacities of prospective employers and determine whether the domestic helper could be subjected to harm and abuse and denied with the dignity they so rightly deserve. Just think of all this time that could individually be put to better use, rather than expending it in the chase for recruiting help.
For the moment indeed I am help-less. But not in the context that quickly comes to mind. In addition to the absence of a domestic helper, I am also without a family driver. He left a couple of months ago to visit his newborn back in the Philippines, and we are truly on our own. His services I cannot do without effortlessly. Who else would be taking my kid to school or my wife out on errands when I am occupied elsewhere? I refuse to hire part-timers who have no verifiable documentation and allow them into my home.
If and when women drive, then we could do away with his services as well. But in the meantime, are you reading all of this, Mr. Minister of Labor?
