Saudi Gazette report RIYADH – A number of recruitment companies have hired female psychologists to help them assess the psychological state of housemaids before the latter are sent to work for Saudi families, Al-Jazirah daily reported. This move has come after many Saudi families have called upon recruitment companies to find a way to protect them against violence at the hands of housemaids. One of the psychologists hired by a recruitment agency told Al-Jazirah that the company she works for has been administering competency tests to every maid brought over to the Kingdom. Over 2,900 housemaids have undergone different psychological tests by psychologists who recorded anything unusual about a housemaid's behavior. Any domestic help who becomes hostile toward the family she works for will be deported immediately while those who lack certain social skills will be rehabilitated and trained for work. The psychologist said some of the housemaids who underwent testing showed symptoms of severe depression while some displayed signs of violence and few were slow in understanding. Mai Abdullah, who works for the public sector, said families should do their best to avoid confrontations and problems with their maids. “These confrontations usually result in catastrophes such as what happened to innocent children a while ago when they were murdered by none other than the housemaids that worked for their families,” she said while adding that evaluating the psychological state of housemaids should solve many of the problems Saudi families have been facing. Employee Somaya Abdulaziz supports the move for forming a special committee of psychologists and sociologists to study housemaids and decide if they are suitable for work. She said authorities should require all recruitment companies to conduct such tests on all recruited housemaids. She suggested that newly-recruited housemaids should be aware of the penalties applicable in the Kingdom for criminal activities. Dr. Ibrahim Al-Obaidi, family counselor at King Saud University, agreed that such a move is positive and he even suggested setting up clinics to carry out the task. “It is very important that a recruitment company should be aware of the kind of life or environment the housemaid has been living in before coming to this country,” Al-Obaidi noted. “The tests should be simple, not complex ones. Moreover, the recruitment company should keep a file about a maid's work and behavior and constantly observe the maid's actions.” He also urged families to treat housemaids well and pay them their salaries on time.
