MAKKAH, 7 December 2006 — The Passport Department in Makkah is searching for suspects in an illegal racket that sheltered and employed Indonesian housemaids fleeing from their legitimate employers.
The department has detained several of these maids upon their arrival to Makkah from various regions in the province during this Haj season. They confessed to the passport authorities that they came to Makkah after some brokers promised to help them perform Haj and then find employment for them with better salaries. The brokers also allegedly offered the maids shelter in return for a fee.
Arab News got a peep into the working of the maid-supply mafia in a meeting yesterday with some of the Indonesian maids detained at the Passport Department in Makkah
Sonia, one of the maids arrested by the department, told Arab News that she fled her sponsor’s house after she was tempted by one of her friends who confided in her that she knew some fellow countrymen who would help her to perform Haj and then find her better employment.
Another of the arrested maids, Saryati said: “I ran away from my employer about seven months ago hoping to get better wages than the SR600 ($160) a month that I used to get from my sponsor. A maid working with my sponsor’s relative tempted me. She told me that I would get a higher salary if I fled from my employer. In fact, I did it and met one of her friends who arranged a job for me with a better salary than my previous one.
“I have been working under a false name at the new job over the past seven months. A few days ago a friend asked me to join her and some other fleeing maids for Haj and then a broker would find us jobs with salaries reaching up to SR1,200 per month. We have to pay the broker’s commission.”
Huda, another maid who was arrested with Sonia, said she ran away from Jeddah with the help of a taxi driver who offered to smuggle her and some other maids to Makkah for SR250 per passenger fee.
Another driver carried them in a private car unnoticed by the policemen to Al-Mansour Street in Makkah as agreed earlier. It was then that immigration authorities noticed them and made arrests.
Taif-based Indonesian maid Yana’s story is not much different from the others. While she was working with her employer 16 months ago, she happened to meet a broker who took her to Jeddah to work on a monthly salary of SR1,000.
“A few days ago a friend of mine confided to me that she knew another broker who would find me a job with a better payment besides helping me to perform Haj. I fell for the tempting offer. Shortly after receiving my salary from my employer I ran away from his house. Then I requested an expatriate car driver to take me to Makkah for SR500. In fact I managed to reach Makkah unnoticed by the security men. However a few minutes after my arrival there, I was picked up by the passport officials,” Yana said with tears swelling in her eyes as she faced the prospect of deportation.
