TAIF, 6 July 2007 — Violence against children with the maids being the perpetrators is something that has increased of late and many Saudi families are cursing their bad luck when dealing with recruitment offices.
Children must be taken care of properly. However, many families subject their children to the care of maids, who are violent, something that rubs off on children when they grow older.
Umm Anas, a Saudi teacher, explained that the abusive behavior of maids cannot be attributed to them feeling homesick since they come to live in the Kingdom willingly. She shared the story of a maid that fed a child rotten meat saying it was good for his health. The child suffered food poisoning and ended up in hospital.
Umm Abdullah agreed with her friend. “Violence rubs off on to children when they get older. They adopt the same abusive attitude and sometimes learn the maid’s unethical traits and un-Islamic ways,” she said, adding, “Things are worse when the mother is always busy and does not respond to her child’s needs.”
Umm Khaled explained that the negative attitude of maids may affect a child psychologically, causing him or her to develop a sense of fear and worry.
The local press reported how one family discovered that their four-month-old baby had a fractured skull when they took her to a hospital for an X-ray. The family maid had assaulted the baby.
In another incident, a father came home to find his six-year-old son lying in a pool of blood after being stabbed by the maid.
Umm Abdul Aziz said that instead of maids there is a need for crèche facilities that look after the children of working women. “This would have a positive impact on working women, making them feel comfortable knowing that their children are in safe hands,” she said.
Dr. Rajab Abdul Hakeem Brisaly, the general manager of a psychiatric hospital in Taif, said that abuse comes in various forms, including direct physical abuse and mental abuse like cursing, belittling and scolding.
“In any case, abuse has its negative influence that damages a child psychologically. Psychiatric studies prove that when children are exposed to physical abuse, they grow up to become more abusive and violent. They lose their self-confidence, tend to be isolated and angry, and become depressed,” he said.
“The psychological effect of such abuse, if not treated at an early stage, could mess up a child’s entire future. It could even affect his or her relationship with others, education and force him or her into drugs and alcohol,” said Brisaly.
Lt. Gen. Turki ibn Thafer Al-Shehry, spokesman for Taif police, said people needed to be selective when recruiting foreign maids. He also noted the importance of medical checkups to ensure maids are mentally stable prior to arriving in the Kingdom.
