RIYADH, 30 August 2006 — Saudis wishing to recruit housemaids from India are required to obtain special permission from the Indian ambassador.
“We are in the process of introducing online registration of Indian maids at the embassy,” Ambassador M.O.H. Farook disclosed at a meeting with a delegation from the Federation of Kerala Associations in Saudi Arabia (FOKSA). He said the embassy has recommended to the federal government in New Delhi that registration of maids should be made compulsory to prevent their abuse by unscrupulous employers.
“The rule is already in place. But it has not yet been made compulsory,” Farook said. Similar steps have been taken by other countries in South Asia, he observed.
“They have to abide by the rules and regulations, one of which is that the maid should be above the age of 40,” he added. The minimum salary payable has been fixed at SR1,000.
However, there are cases of violation of the contract, as a result of which the housemaids receive only SR500 instead of the promised amount shown in the contract.
At the meeting R. Muraleedharan, general convener of FOKSA, submitted a memorandum to the ambassador drawing his attention to the need for organizing health camps for low-paid Indian workers who have no insurance cover for medical treatment. This is despite the fact that health insurance has been made compulsory for all expatriate employees in the Kingdom.
The memorandum points out that in the absence of insurance cover, voluntary social workers come under pressure to collect funds from philanthropists till such time as the workers are sent back to India to continue treatment. The time lag between the diagnosis of the disease and its preliminary treatment “is crucial. If proper treatment is not given, even death could occur,” it adds.
