"I wish to make it clear that this is not to say that she has not been tormented or tortured by her employer in Saudi Arabia," said Dr. Susirith Mendis from the University of Ruhuna. "It is possible that she self-embedded the nails (and needles) as a way to escape from her employer."
The case of L.T. Ariyawathi, a 49-year-old Sri Lankan housemaid, has drawn international attention after 24 nails and needles were found to have been pressed into the woman's legs, arms, hands and forehead.
Ariyawathi has accused her Saudi employers, a husband and wife, of doing this as a form of punishment since her arrival to the Kingdom in March. Sri Lankan officials are demanding a full investigation and justice while the Saudi Arabian National Recruitment Committee has dismissed the claims are baseless.
Mendis points out that there are worse cases of self-inflicted abuse in the medical literature from people suffering from Münchausen syndrome, a psychological condition where people feign trauma or illness in order to draw attention to themselves. The doctor urged Sri Lankan medical authorities to evaluate the woman psychologically before further communicating with the authorities in Saudi Arabia on this case. A medical report has been sent from Sri Lanka to Saudi Arabia to help in the case.
The doctor added: "While it is possible, and understandable, that she did not tell anybody in Saudi Arabia — even the authorities there — about the alleged torture out of fear of further victimization, it is curious that she did not, on her return, inform her immediate relatives, or even the doctor, that she had been tortured by her employer, who is allegedly the one who inserted heated nails into her body."
The doctor also suggested that the position of the nails and needles in the maid's body, including those pushed into the flesh between the thumb and forefinger, are "common and safe places for self-inflicted object embedding."
In addition to this speculation about how the nails and needles ended up embedded in the maid's body, the Saudi daily Al-Yaum quoted on Sunday Hashim Al-Zaabi, a school principal in Al-Khafji, Eastern Province, claiming that Ariyawathi worked for his family 12 years ago and had performed "black magic" on his mother.
"I am ready to provide information against the maid during the ongoing investigation," Al-Zaabi was quoted as saying. "I know she is telling a lie by saying the sponsor planted nails in her body."
The case has enraged many in Sri Lanka, bolstering calls for a ban on the recruitment of maids for Saudi Arabia.
Mohammed Jaufer, senior recruitment agent in Colombo, told Arab News that there was already a lobby working for this after a recent decision to reduce recruitment fees — the money agents charge to recruit maids for Saudi Arabia.
"Last month Saudi Arabian National Recruitment Committee entered into an agreement with its counterpart in Colombo to reduce the recruitment fees for housemaids from $1,500 to $1,000 which has reduced the agents' commission," he said. "They can earn more money by sending maids to other countries in the region."
Jaufer suggests these recruiters might be using this case to frighten domestics into going to other countries where the commissions aren't capped at $1,000.
