FOR many Saudi households, especially ones where both parents work, live-in maids are an indispensable part of modern life. And while there exist many grievances against the recruitment process of maids, a process that often results in untrained and poorly qualified maids arriving in the Kingdom, Saudi families must treat their maids with respect and kindness. They must remember that these women have left their countries and families in search of a better life for themselves and their loved ones. Al-Riyadh daily spoke to several citizens to learn how dependable Saudi families are on their maids to run their households. Citizen Khalid Al-Harbi said most families cannot do without maids as an increasingly large number of Saudi mothers work and need help around the house. "Most women today working mothers and thus need help taking care of their children and with housework when they are away. I am against employing a housemaid when the family does not need one and only does so because they want to boast and brag," Al-Harbi said. Abdullah Al-Mutairi said many Saudi women end up taking advantage of maids by overworking them and treating them as if they are machines, not human beings. "Maids cannot be nannies, cooks and cleaners all at the same time; this is too much work. It also increases Saudi women's reliance on maids and we must find a balance so maids aren't being exploited," he said. For people who mistreat their maids, Jali Al-Abawee offered a reminder that Islam calls on Muslims to treat everyone with respect and dignity. "No doubt that our families are opening up to the outside world and more women are joining the workforce. This means that more and more maids are being recruited. I hate it when I read stories about Saudi families who treat their maids cruelly because Islam calls upon us to treat workers with utmost respect and dignity," he said. Echoing Al-Abawee's sentiments, Saudi writer Al-Nayera Al-Mutairi said Saudi employers should be fully aware of the rights of maids and recalled how Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) treated his servant Anas Ibn Malik. The latter said, "I served the Prophet for ten years and he never rebuked me or even asked me why I did or did not do something." The Prophet called for giving a worker his wages as soon as he finishes his job without any delay. "We should not forget that maids have left behind their children and families by moving here. Living in a foreign country, learning a new language and familiarizing themselves with vastly different traditions and culture is a not a small thing and employers should be mindful of this," she stressed. Acknowledging that many maids who arrive in the Kingdom suffer from pre-existing psychological problems that can make them prone to violence, Col. Ziyad Al-Ruqaiti, spokesman for Eastern Province Police, downplayed reports that maids commit crimes on a large scale. "Maids involved in crimes represent 1.5 percent of all criminal cases handled by the police," he said, while urging employers to treat their maids kindly and pay them on time.
