About two weeks ago, we reported this news on the Sri Lankan government decreasing the number of domestic maids being sent into Saudi Arabia, due to an increasingly large record of abuse.

Arab News has picked up the story, reporting the following:

Kingsley Ranawaka, chairman of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), was recently quoted by an international media source as saying that Lankan labor officials have decided to curb the number of housekeepers due to the number of complaints of ill-treatment received from Lankan maids in the region.

The bureau said that in the first half of this year, it received a total of 3,400 complaints, including 577 cases of breach of contract and 479 cases of sexual abuse and other forms of physical violence, as well as complaints of unpaid or underpaid salaries.

Further justifying this decision, Mr. Ranawaka notes:

“We have reports at our embassy that some Lankan maids aren’t being paid their salaries or given proper food or accommodation and I hope this new decision will remedy the problem,” he said.

Read the rest of the article here.