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Sri Lanka Demands an Investigation into the Murder of an Abused Maid in Saudi Arabia

On January 21, 2010

Sri Lanka is demanding a full investigation into the murder of a Balakrishnan Dharshani, a 26-year-old maid whose body was found with burn marks last December in Hofuf, Saudi Arabia.

According to an Arab News report from last week, Dharshani's parents have received letters from her that detailed the abuse she suffered at the hand of her sponsor. The maid's letters described how she became ill due to the constant beatings from him.

The report mentions that the Sri Lankan Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) documented the death of 330 deaths of Sri Lankan maids in the Middle East in 2009. Also, the Sri Lankan embassy in Riyadh receives ten runaway maids per day.