A recruitment source in Sri Lanka has warned that some Sri Lankan brokers may take advantage of the fact that many Saudis seek the services of Sri Lankan housemaids by encouraging them to run away from their Saudi employers after a certain period of time. The source who spoke on condition of anonymity warned Saudis to not recruit maids from Sri Lanka until they are offered better legal protection. Explaining why a large number of Sri Lankan housemaids stay with their sponsors for three months and then quit, the source said brokers in Sri Lanka pick maids who do not want to leave the country and pay them money if they return to Sri Lanka after a certain amount of time. “Unsuspect ing Saudis pay thousands of riyals recruiting maids only to have them run away after a few months. Once they return to Sri Lanka, the brokers send more maids to the Kingdom and promise them money if they resign after three months. It's a scam and they are making a lot of money by fleecing Saudis,” said the source who added that recruitment offices might not be directly involved in this scheme. The source called for halting recruitment from Sri Lanka for the time being so that no more citizens fall victim to the scheme. He also called upon concerned authorities to step in and take action. The fees of work visas for the Kingdom have increased while the fees of other Gulf countries have remained the same, a matter which shows clear discrimination against the Kingdom, said the source. It takes a Saudi citizen eight months to bring a housemaid and this period might increase to a year in light of the current circumstances. Following the moratorium on recruitment from the Philippines and Indonesia, the demand for Sri Lankan housemaids has shot up and recruitment costs have reached SR18,000. According to figures released by a maids' recruitment office in Riyadh, over 300 maids arrive in the Kingdom every month. Waleed Al-Suwaidan, investor in the recruitment sector, confirmed the fact that Sri Lankan brokers pay housemaids $1000 to go work in the Kingdom for three months and then leave. He also said Saudis do not have any legal protection. He urged citizens not to recruit Sri Lankan housemaids for the time being, adding that the recruitment market will see some improvement and solutions soon.
