Mariam Nihal Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Disturbing reports of worker abuse and persecution have developed into an ongoing threat that has stirred fear in the minds of housemaids and blue-collar workers in Saudi Arabia. Last month, a maid from the Philippines was allegedly scalded with hot water poured down her back. Photos of her posted on the Internet showed burn marks under peeling skin covered with anti-burn ointment. Last year, a young Sri Lankan housemaid was beheaded after appeals made by the Sri Lankan government to spare her life were rejected. Rizana Nafeek was given the death sentence after she was convicted of killing an infant left in her care in 2005. Noura, a Sri Lankan maid living in Jeddah, said: “I am scared to death after hearing these cases. I stay locked in the house I live in. “I don't want to go out for a walk even if I am allowed because I am scared the police might catch me and I will have to leave the country. “I know my employer won't fight for me or protect me. My visa expired but my employer won't renew it. I get beaten up every time I bring it up. “But there comes a time we can't take it anymore and that's when real tragedy arises.” Indonesia banned its nationals from working in Saudi Arabia after an Indonesian maid was beheaded. The maid confessed to killing her employer, claiming he abused her. “I have been living here for 15 years and I do not want to go back,” Fouzia, a maid from the Philippines, told Saudi Gazette. “My children and family are back home but this is where I want to stay. I work all day, seven days a week living with a family of five that I work for. “This is the fourth family I have worked for. I had bad experiences all those times but I have finally managed to get a nice household where I can eat and drink and live peacefully as I wish. "But they are not Saudi.” Fouzia said she worked for large Saudi families and often shifted between two homes. She said having to put up with verbal and physical abuse is something Asians should be prepared to experience. “My boss had two wives and 12 children. We were four maids moving between houses, looking after children, the house and kitchens. “You can understand it is a lot like slavery than being a helper. “It's all about survival. It is the risk I take so I can feed and shelter my family back home.” Recently, a bylaw issued by the Saudi Labor Ministry stated that employers must pay the salaries of housemaids and drivers at the end of each Hijri month and workers must be allowed to rest nine hours a day and given one day off every week. However, this is limited to those maids hired on a contract, whereas most maids do not work for their sponsors and are therefore not legally living in the country. According to the bylaw, employers face fines ranging from SR2,000 to SR5,000 for failing to comply with the law. Waleed Azzam, a 48-year-old Syrian national living in Saudi Arabia, said he feels the South Asian community feels more discriminated against than Arab nationals who have lived most of their lives in the Kingdom. He said: “I have witnessed and felt ashamed when I came across my sons and their local friends mistreating a worker at a store. “I feel it is my duty to teach them to respect everyone. I hope we can all raise our kids to understand the importance of mutual respect. “What goes around comes around. We should treat others the way we want to be treated, especially the men working at the local corner stores.” Some 7.5 million foreign workers are estimated to live in Saudi Arabia, each of them with a sponsor. “Sponsors generally keep passports while workers have no choice but to serve them or work in other places and pay them a monthly fee for their iqamas (residence permit),” said Abdurahman, a 48-year-old Pakistani driver living in Jeddah. “I look over his housing projects outside Jeddah and work as a part-time driver for women who cannot drive and always need someone they can trust. “I manage to pay him a monthly fee for my iqama and send the rest back home. “That's how it works. You do not argue and risk angering your kafeel (sponsor) lest they send you home on an exit visa.”
