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Sri Lankan maid tortured by Saudi sponsors

On August 25, 2010

The Arab Times reported today about a horrific case of abuse of a Sri Lankan maid by her sponsors in Saudi Arabia. The maid, who returned to Sri Lanka and was hospitalized had 23 nails removed from her body as a testament to the severe abuse she suffered.

The 50-year-old maid, Ariyawathie, reported that she was forced to work around the clock for the many occupants of the house and whenever she would get tired and asked for a break, her sponsors inserted a nail inside of her as punishment. The doctors at the Sri Lankan hospital said that the nails were heated before being forcibly pushed under her skin. Ariyawathie added, "I had to work from dawn to dusk. I hardly slept. They beat me and threatened to kill me and hide my body... They were really devils with no mercy at all.”

The Sri Lankan mission in Riyadh told the paper that they'll summon the sponsors of the maid "to discuss the issue".