Even though the Indian government has enforced strict rules for the recruitment of domestic helpers in Saudi Arabia, around 178 runaway Indian housemaids were reported at the Indian Embassy, last year. P. Balachandran, First Secretary, Community Welfare Wing, Indian Embassy in Riyadh, said since 2006, the Indian Embassy has been attesting only a limited number of visa documents for the recruitment of housemaids from India. Attestation of documents is only done after thorough scrutiny, he said. The Indian Embassy ensures before the attestation of documents that the housemaids will have a minimum monthly salary of SR1,000 with other facilities such as free accommodation and proper working conditions. However, he said the embassy learnt that some Indian housemaids continue to arrive in the Kingdom without the proper attestation of documents which exposes them to exploitation. The lack of authorized papers and the absence of attested employment contracts also limits the ability of the embassy to intervene in case of labor disputes, he said. He said that of the 178 runaway housemaids who approached the Indian Embassy for help, Kerala topped the list with 64, followed by Andhra Pradesh (47), Maharashtra (25), Tamil Nadu (24) and Karnataka (11). Others were from Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Goa and Delhi. “The embassy has rendered all possible assistance to runaway housemaids. All of the 178 runaway housemaids who reported to the Indian Embassy in 2008 were repatriated to India,” Balachandran said. Among the 1.6 million Indian expatriates living in Saudi Arabia around 9,000 are housemaids. There were cases when the embassy had to accompany runaway housemaids, some of whom lived in remote parts of the country. The embassy met the cost of air tickets for 36 housemaids from the Welfare Fund at a cost of SR42,189. Moreover, the embassy spent SR12,551 on food and other requirements while sheltering the housemaids at the embassy's staff housing. He said the runaway housemaids were sometimes handed over to the Saudi authorities through the police for accommodation in the Housemaid Welfare Center. However, the Indian Embassy also provides shelter to those housemaids who are not accepted by the center for various reasons, he added. Meanwhile, the Saudi Shoura Council on Monday completed deliberations on what may become the Kingdom's first law regulating the rights and duties of housemaids and other domestic helpers. “This is the first time such a law has been drafted in the Kingdom to regulate the relations between employers and their domestic aides,” said Mohamed Al-Ghamdi, Secretary General of the Shoura Council, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Once endorsed by the Shoura Council, the law will be presented to King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, for approval, he said.
