MANAMA: Recruitment agencies are in a fix after learning that authorities have reportedly imposed a visa ban on Ethiopian housemaids.
When contacted, several manpower agencies said immigration officials had issued a ban, and that there was no official announcement on the issue. “According to our information, the ban on Ethiopian labor is not because of prostitution claims but because of health reasons,” said Mohammed Nasser, who owns a recruitment agency.
Top officials at the General Directorate of Nationality, Passports and Residence are tight-lipped about whether the ban is temporary. It costs around SR3,000 to hire an Ethiopian maid who receives a monthly salary of between SR500 and SR800, which is less than the salaries given to domestic workers of other nationalities.
Kuwait had also slapped a ban on Ethiopians last year after three maids from the east African country tested HIV positive.
Last year, Bahraini authorities enforced a visa ban on Bangladeshis after a Bahraini national died in an altercation with a Bangladeshi mechanic.
Crucial talks between Bangladeshi embassy and government bodies took place that finally resulted in lifting the travel ban after two months.
