Saudi Arabia’s Labor Recruitment Committee said a few months ago that it was planning to restrict foreign housemaids from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Vietnam.
“In view of this, we did not pursue the matter with our counterparts in the specified countries,” Abdul Rahman Al-Moujidi, a local foreign-labor recruitment agent, told Arab News.
The authorities are taking steps to stop housemaids coming from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Cambodia and Vietnam, he said, quoting Ali Al-Quraishi, vice president of the Labor Recruitment Committee.
“There is neither a proper selection process of housemaids to suit this market nor are they given orientation before they leave their countries,” Al-Quraishi was quoted as saying.
Saudi employers have complained that the housemaids coming into the Kingdom have no proper orientation before they leave their countries.
“They have no knowledge of the Saudi lifestyle, especially their food habits and the language,” said Khaled Marzouki, a local businessman.
The cases of housemaids running away from their sponsors are on the increase, according to sources at Indonesian and Sri Lankan consulates. “They run away because of nonpayment of salaries, physical abuse and/or making them work beyond their hours of work,” an Indonesian consulate official said.
An agent recruiting Nepalese maids said the Kingdom’s plan to restrict the import of maids from Nepal would not have any adverse impact on the Nepali labor market abroad.
Of the total 200,000 Nepali women working abroad, some 90 percent are estimated to be in Gulf countries. More than 20,000 Nepali women are working in Saudi Arabia.
Despite the presence of more than a million housemaids in the Kingdom, the demand for domestic servants is so great that illegal immigrants are often hired. These housemaids live with their employers and work at reduced rates because of their illegal status. But at the same time, there are obvious risks involved to both the maid and the employer.
There are many placement agencies in the Kingdom that specialize in identifying and facilitating recruitment of housemaids. People seeking maids can go to the agency and discuss requirements, such as preferred nationality, age, religion and language requirements.
Additionally, the manager of the agency will want to know how many members are in the family, whether there are any pets and whether there are any other unique requirements or issues that should be taken into consideration when selecting a housemaid.
Most housemaids in the Kingdom are from Indonesia and the Philippines. The monthly salary varies slightly depending on nationality and the agency. The Philippines and Indonesia in particular have stipulated minimum salaries for their housemaids. It ranges from SR800 to SR1,600 per month.
However, many maids wind up signing new contracts on arrival and are paid less than originally offered under a practice known as “contract substitution.”
