JEDDAH: The heartbreaking story of two abused Indian maids from the southern Indian city of Hyderabad has caught the attention of many, especially fellow Indians from Hyderabad.
“We the Hyderabadi community in the Kingdom will unite to help these poor victimized women. We will do everything within our power to help them. They are not alone,” said Sarfaraz Khan, vice president of the Hyderabad Cricket League (HCL).
“We have 200 members at the club, and we will expand our network by e-mails, phone calls and word of mouth to help these women,” he added.
“We are collecting donations,” said Siraj Ansari, founder of HCL, “and we will provide them with provisions until their problem is resolved.” The sponsor of one of the maids, Aisha Sultana, has responded to a complaint filed against him at the Indian Consulate.
He has returned the maid’s passport and given her immigration clearance. Before leaving for India she thanked HCL for purchasing her ticket, and giving her money and gifts for her sick daughter.
“I will forever be grateful to HCL for their kind support. I want to send a message to the Indian government that please do not allow women to come and work as maids in Saudi Arabia. It is better to carry bricks in India than to work here as a maid,” she said.
The dilemma of the second maid, Fathima Bebe, however, is far from over — her sponsor transferred her sponsorship without her knowledge to the boss of the Labor Placement Agency who physically abused her.
“When I learned this I called the boss and begged him to please let me return to India as I am a widow and have a small daughter. “He told me that if I came to him, or he found out where I was, he would beat me like never before,” said Bebe.
HCL, which is led by Talha Qaulani, the organization’s president, is extending support not just to Sultana and Bebe, but also to as many Indians as possible.
