RIYADH: Sri Lanka rejected rumors on Friday the Kingdom has imposed a ban on recruiting maids from the country.
“We do not feel such a move will even take place since there is a great demand for Sri Lankan maids in Saudi Arabia,” Kingsley Ranawaka, chairman of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, told Arab News.
Saudi media reported recently that the Kingdom is considering banning maids from countries such as Sri Lanka, Nepal, Cambodia and Vietnam due to maids being unsuitable to suit Saudi culture.
“The Saudi authorities cannot do this as there is a huge demand for Lankan maids in that part of the world,” said Ranawaka. “Sri Lanka cannot cater to such a great demand. The numbers keep increasing.”
Ranawaka added that the Lankan government has received no instructions from the Saudi government that confirms these reports.
He also said that the Lankan government has 20 training centers throughout the country to train the domestic aides who go out for overseas employment.
“It is a two-week program which has a curriculum that includes familiarization of the culture and traditions of the host country, basic spoken Arabic and ways to operate electronic household equipment.”
