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Indonesia vs Saudi Arabia: The maid issue

The Maid Issue -- again.
The treatment of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia especially domestic workers or maids has been a long standing issue. More migrant workers are executed in Saudi Arabia than in any other country. According to human rights groups, more than 45 Indonesian women are on death row.

Several NGOs believe that the exact number of foreign domestic workers on death row is almost certainly higher since the Saudi authorities do not publish official figures. Although the majority of the women are Indonesian, there are also Filipina, Indian, Ethiopian and Thai maids facing the death penalty.

Furthermore, they are also subjected to arrests on sham charges of theft, assault and even witchcraft. Often victims of rape and sexual violence, they are accused of adultery and fornication. Indonesian Association for Migrant Workers sovereignty, a human rights group recorded over 5, 560 reports of physical and sexual abuse in Saudi Arabia in 2010 alone.

A weak legal infrastructure combined with a lack of legal rights has made access to justice remote. Many foreign workers have no way of defending themselves due to the lack of access to lawyers and translators. Entire trials are conducted in Arabic and many are prevented from contacting their embassies. Lack of proper investigations and legal proceedings allow abusers to escape justice.

Saudi labour laws exclude domestic workers denying them rights guaranteed to other workers such as overtime pay and days off. A sponsorship (kafala) system ties the workers to their employers meaning the employer has complete control over the workers’ ability to change occupation or to even leave the country. Their passports are confiscated to prevent any attempts to escape.

Repeated requests from Indonesia for improved working conditions have been ignored by the Saudi government. Saudi Arabia has fallen out of favour with several Asian nations including Thailand and Sri Lanka.


Source: World Outline, March 30, 2013
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