2016 Aug 12
By Vandana Hiranand
Traveling to Saudi Arabia to work as a housemaid seems a welcoming prospect to many women in Sri Lanka. The chance to earn for their families and experience life in a different country is highly appealing. When offered the opportunity, they jump at the chance and are immediately enticed.
Yet, this system is being heavily exploited in various manners – both by the employers and even the workers themselves.
The recruitment process begins with various subagents within villages. The subagents paint a pretty picture about the life they would have once they begin to work to local women, who are rather unaware of the reality of working in Saudi Arabia and the possible struggles they may face. They may observe a woman who has returned to Sri Lanka after successfully working and earning abroad. Under the impression that they too will have it easy, they agree to the offer.
Immediately upon signing, a sizeable sum of money is paid to the worker’s family, most commonly to the husband. This is essential and the process would not go further if there was a delay in this payment. Following this, the Sri Lankan housemaid gets ready to travel.
While the employment contract held by the worker is for a maximum period of 2 years, passports are issued for 10 years. Once she lands in Saudi Arabia, the local employer will keep her passport for the entirety of her stay. Since there is no need for passport renewal or checkup during these 2 years, the safety of the housemaid is thus compromised.
The conditions faced by many housemaids in these situations are alarming. A large problem faced by many is the lack of salary payments. While the basic salary for each housemaid is 100 riyals, some employers refuse to pay the housemaid throughout the years she has worked. The immense workload is another factor. Although they receive training, certain housemaids are made to clean and manage houses with 3 or more floors daily, in addition to other responsibilities. They may be sent to other houses to do further work or may be brought from one sponsor and illegally transferred to another.
To worsen the situation, many workers undergo severe physical and mental abuse. Domestic violence is largely prevalent, with women who are physically and sexually abused on a daily basis, by both the employer and his wife. Some housemaids are deprived of a healthy food intake, and must survive on meager meals. Undoubtedly, these adverse conditions lead to many cases of suicide and murder, with a higher percentage belonging to the suicide category. Many housemaids who are not allowed out of their houses, not given access to speak to their families back home, and simply can’t cope with the conditions resort to committing suicide.
It is important to note that not every worker undergoes these difficulties when working in Saudi Arabia. Approximately 30–40% of Sri Lankan housemaids are welcomed into considerate families who take good care of them. They form bonds with the children of the household and are integrated into the family structure well. As such, the ill-treatment of these workers cannot be generalized to all employers abroad.
As in most cases, the exploitation of the system works both ways. Many Sri Lankan housemaids accept the contracts provided by their employers, collect their money, and run away from their houses to accept a job from another employer for a higher salary. As such, the employer faces a great loss. Rather than renewing their contracts after 2 years of working, many housemaids travel back to Sri Lanka and apply for a post again, in order to receive the initial payments twice. Many workers have extramarital affairs within Saudi and this causes pregnancies and other complications, which they do not have the necessary tools to deal with.
So how does the system counter these problems?
The minimum acceptable age for a housemaid has been shifted from 24 to 30 years. Those with children younger than 5 years old are not allowed to leave their homes to travel for work.
A housemaid who has not been ill-treated and yet has run away is immediately deported to Sri Lanka once located. Since their passports are initially within the employer’s possession, they cannot travel back to Saudi at any point thereafter.
If a Sri Lankan family has lost contact with a worker, they can lodge a complaint, after which a search will ensue. A housemaid, who runs away after undergoing ill-treatment can visit the nearest police station, after which she is transferred to a ladies’ welfare camp. The case is then thoroughly investigated and emergency passports are made for her travels.
The passport for an extended stay is only renewed if the housemaid in question is present. Thus, if any ill-treatment has been occurring, the embassy investigates the case. Unfortunately, however, this system does not always work, since the workers may be intimidated and threatened by their employers.
These procedures are largely implemented as final resorts. There are few systems in place to prevent initial exploitation. So what must the government and embassy do?
Firstly, passports must initially be issued for a maximum of 3 years, rather than 10. This would enforce a 3 year checkup at the very least, and any ill-treatment of the worker can be investigated. This will also prevent the worker from running away from the house, protecting the employer as well.
Passports must be renewed in a safe environment for the worker, so that the employer cannot force the housemaid to place their fingerprint for the renewal.
An evaluation must be conducted 3 months after the housemaid has settled in, which will prevent any further ill-treatment. These evaluations must be made secure for both parties and should be held throughout the worker’s contract period.
New workers must be provided with contact numbers of nearest agencies in case of an emergency.
A housemaid who has run away due to ill-treatment before the termination of her contract must not be made liable to pay back the 25,000 riyals, as is the current procedure.
In short, the system needs to be made much more secure in order to provide a better working environment. To prevent these workers from undergoing abuse and neglect, and to safeguard the interests of employers who are being subject to loss, serious measures need to be implemented immediately.
