Kafala Politics and Domestic Labor in Saudi Arabia
by R. B.
As we prepare to land at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, I grudgingly wear my abaya and wrap the headscarf around my neck. A few Saudi men in jeans and t-shirts rush to the bathrooms and change into their long, white thobes. W…
Archive for the ‘Saudi Arabia’ Category
The Sponsorship System and Domestic Labor in Saudi Arabia
September 22nd, 2010
Gulf Housemaids Racism Saudi Arabia Sponsorship Trafficking
Saudi Sponsors Suspected of Brutally Murdering Two Asian Maids
September 16th, 2010
Abusive employers Housemaids Legal cases Saudi Arabia
Last week, two murder cases of Asian domestic workers were reported in Saudi Arabia. In the first case, a Saudi employer confessed in a Medina court to murdering her Indonesian maid, after medical reports showed that she was beaten to death. In the second case, a Filipino maid was brutally murdered ...
Migrante Calls for Shelter for Male OFWs in Saudi
September 1st, 2010
Abusive employers Saudi Arabia
A group representing Overseas Filipino Workers has called for emergency shelters for male workers in Saudi Arabia, citing the rising number of distressed men fleeing from their employers. “It is quite alarming that the number of male distressed OFWs is growing unprecedentedly compared to previous...
Saudi Maid Verdict ‘Outrageous’: HRW
August 28th, 2010
Abusive employers Housemaids Legal cases Saudi Arabia
Human Rights Watch has called on a Saudi court to reverse a decision to drop charges against a couple who severely beat their Indonesian maid. The judge awarded a mere $670 compensation to Nour Miyati, who was tied up by her employers and left in a cellar for a month in 2005. The 25 year old woman ...
Sri Lankan maid tortured by Saudi sponsors
August 25th, 2010
Abusive employers Housemaids Saudi Arabia
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 ...
Two Maids Attempt Suicide in Saudi Arabia in One Week
August 2nd, 2010
Housemaids Saudi Arabia Suicide
Earlier this week, in two separate incidents, two Asian domestic workers attempted suicide in Saudi Arabia. This kind of desperate acts are often the results of abuse, poor living and working conditions and non-payment of salaries. The Kingdom does not include domestic workers under the scope of pro...
Filipino Workers Rule Saudi Arabia
June 28th, 2010
Interviews Saudi Arabia Workers
Philippine is the 12th largest population with total of 92 million people scattered in 7107 islands in Western Pacific Ocean. The skills, commitment and hard work of its citizens are highly respected as overseas migrant workers around the world. OFW is Overseas Filipino Worker; this term was first i...
Nepali Women in Danger in Saudi
June 12th, 2010
Kuwait Saudi Arabia Trafficking Women
Human Rights Watch has called on Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to investigate the trafficking of Nepali women between the two countries. Nepali women who have agreed to work in Kuwait are reportedly being sent to Saudi Arabia, where they often find themselves stranded without work or papers. Kuwaiti em...
Jobless in Jeddah: 200 OFWs stranded without pay
June 6th, 2010
200 Philippine healthcare workers have marched to the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah yesterday demanding action against their employer, who has not paid their salaries for six months. The workers are nurses and clinic staff at the Al Ansar Hospital in Jeddah, which is due to be closed. Not only hav...
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