Four Indonesian maids were gravely injured by their employers.  According to the attackers, the women practiced witchcraft on the employing family’s eldest son.  Reportedly, the family’s 17 year old son whipped the women with his igal, which is a ropelike cord used for the traditional Saudi headdress.  In all, seven family members attacked the four women.  Two of the women were killed while the other two women were severely injured.  One of the survivors has recovered from the hospital and been removed by police to an undisclosed place.  The police are also protecting the woman in critical condition.  However, the police have also barred the women from having visitors, including representatives from the Indonesian Embassy.  The Saudi authorities are hoping to question the injured maids to investigate the employers’ attack of the maids.  Saudi authorities detained the employers accused of the attack for interrogation. 
   
    The Saudi government must respond quickly and decisively in this action since the problem of employers abusing foreign migrant workers plagues Saudi Arabia.  Human Rights Watch reports that many Saudi employers and employment agencies have been accused of raping and impregnating their maids or physically and verbally assaulting their workers.  For example, in 2005 an Indonesian maid suffered from gangrene, because her employer locked her up.  The employer also withheld food from the woman and verbally and physically abusing her.  When the maid complained to the authorities, she was given 79 lashes for making false accusations against her employer.  Recently, maid was awarded a monetary judgment by the court and allowed to return to Indonesia, however, the employer has not yet been forced to give her a settlement.

    Although over 24 million migrant workers live in Saudi Arabia, the Saudi government has not taken an active role to protect its large contingent of foreign workers.  The workers are rarely given either legal protection or a translator when interrogated by the police for accusations involving employers.  Subsequently, the workers are not treated fairly by the Saudi authorities.  For example Human Rights Watch reported that an Indonesian maid was recently sentenced to death for practicing witchcraft.  However, her sentence was reduced to 10 years in prison and 2,000 lashes.  Furthermore, the Indonesian Embassy was only informed of the woman’s accusations a month after she received her sentence, which barred the Embassy from defending the woman in trial. 

    The Saudi Arabian government must act decisively to protect the foreign born workers.  The problem has plagued the Saudi Arabia and can only be resolved through the implementation of harsh consequences against employers for abusive actions.  If the Saudi Arabian government does not respond quickly, then it must quickly alert foreign embassies to allow them to protect their citizens.  However, if Saudi Arabia does not enact stringent punishments against abusive employers nor alerts foreign embassies of abusive practices against its citizens, then the appalling behavior of abusive employers will continue indefinitely.

 

Human Rights Watch.  Saudi Arabia: Migrant Domestics Killed by Employers.  17 August 2007.

 

Arab News.  Battered Indonesian Maid Held for Questioning.  22 August 2007.

 

Reuters India.  Saudi should do more to stop maid abuse- watchdog.  17 August 2007.