This is viewed as one positive outcome of the recent skirmishes between the Saudis and Yemen’s Houthi rebels. This “maid mafia” had thrived on a chain of events that take poor women from the African village to the Saudi villa, charging fees to both the women and the families that hire them.

A Saudi family who wants to employ an African maid has to pay to the human trafficker up to SR1,000, depending on the woman’s experience. By then the trafficker has also charged the woman for his service.

Most of these unscrupulous agents prefer to place women in work for a few months at a time and then transfer them to other families. They repeat this shifting process every six months or less because they can collect the supplier’s fees from each new employer.

These illegal placement agents can provide false documents time after time to assure families that they are working within the limits of the law.

Lubabah, a Somali maid, told Arab News how she came illegally to work in the Kingdom.  She was smuggled across the southern border about a year ago. “We were tempted by Somali men to travel to Saudi Arabia with promises of a better life. I traveled with dozens of women and children packed in a small boat from the Somali coast to Yemen and then across the borders to Saudi Arabia. Somali men took care of us. We had to pay them SR2,000 after we started working here,” she said.

Lubabah said that contrary to her expectations, she did not find life better in the Kingdom.

“It is no better here. We have a very hard time living in poorly built houses on mountains and wadis away from cities and changing the place of work frequently,” she said. She said she had been studying English when she ran away from her parents, lured by the promises of the maid mafia. Umm Dina, a Saudi housewife who used to employ African housemaids, told Arab News of how she used to deal with a Somali agent.

She had been given his phone number by a friend. After agreeing to supply a maid, the Somali agent sent one along in a new car driven by a Saudi man. It was proof, as far as Umm Dina was concerned, that Saudis were also involved in the “maid mafia,” particularly in the transportation of the illegal workers.

“Even though African maids are not as good as Far Eastern maids, they are in demand -— because they are cheaper,” said Umm Dina. She showed little enthusiasm for them.  “Many African maids are disobedient and often talk on personal mobile phones, a practice Saudi employers hate. Some of them carry dangerous diseases. However, we have to cope with the illegal maids and their illegal suppliers as others are very expensive.”

Admitting the presence of illegal housemaids touts in the Kingdom, Col. Abdullah Al-Qarni, spokesman for Asir police, said — rather resignedly — that the authorities dealt with the problem as best they could.

“Police often arrest such people and hand them to the Passport Department for legal action,” he said. “Illegal workers and their protectors including their transporters are being punished.”

Only if they are caught.