Abuse of domestic workers continues in Saudi Arabia: Report

A new report has revealed that domestic workers in Saudi Arabia continue to suffer from abuse at the hands of their employers, despite recent labor reforms in the kingdom.

According to a report by The Times on Monday, migrant housekeepers are being subjected to physical, mental, and sexual abuse by their employers in the country. 

The report went on to say that the major reforms announced by Saudi Arabia for its migrants workers in 2021 do not apply to all the workers, arguing that the "new freedoms" have only been given to "those working in private sectors," such as oil and gas.

Saudi Arabia has a terrible reputation when it comes to the rights of migrant workers, who are forced to work long hours and invariably subjected to abuse.

In October 2020, the Saudi authorities announced that they were working on the notorious Kafala or sponsorship system, described by critics as "modern day slavery."

Under the Kafala system, the legal status of migrant workers is controlled by their employers, leaving them prone to abuse and exploitation.

Saudi Arabia promised to roll out the Kafala reforms in March 2021. However, those reforms don’t apply to 3.7 million domestic workers as they are excluded from the kingdom's labor laws.

The latest report further noted that four million women and men who work as domestic helpers, farmers, and drivers "are still restricted,” adding that their employers have admitted that they had been denying laborers' passports, among other things.

It also said several human traffickers have admitted to employing “physical punishment” to punish their victims if they "talked back," and they demanded that the maids work nonstop for as little as $6 per day.

ME