RIYADH: The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) has been working with several government departments to stop the trade in domestic workers in the country, including maids and drivers.

This is according to Mufleh Al-Qahtani, head of the NSHR, who said that there are advertisements in the media offering the services of these workers. The advertisements are a clear violation of the workers’ human rights and the country’s labor laws, he said.

Al-Qahtani was quoted as saying in a local publication recently that the NSHR has registered these violations and has called on the government to crack down on these activities. In addition, he said media houses must not allow people to place these advertisements.

The NSHR president said measures must be put in place to compensate sponsors, who paid huge sums to recruit these workers. Individuals and the community at large must be made aware of these illegal practices, he said.

Al-Qahtani said these advertisements are not in the interest of the nation and harms its image.

The Ministry of Culture and Information has since 2014 called on the media not to publish these advertisements. In 2013, 65 cases of human trafficking were registered in Saudi courts. This went up to 180 in 2014, according to reports.

The NSHR announced recently it had produced a draft national strategy to deal with the abuse of civil liberties. The society also disclosed that it has opened two new branches in Madinah and Jazan, bringing the total number of offices in the country to 15.

The NSHR announced recently that many sponsors in the country were abusing the sponsorship system, which contravened local and international laws.

This includes holding onto the passports of workers, forcing them to do jobs that they were not recruited for, withholding salaries, and various forms of physical, psychological and sexual abuse.