Monday, June 10, 2013

Indonesia vs Saudi Arabia: The maid issue...

The treatment of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia especially domestic workers or maids has been a long standing issue. More migrant workers are executed in Saudi Arabia than in any other country. According to human rights groups, more than 45 Indonesian women are on death row.

Several NGOs believe that the exact number of foreign domestic workers on death row is almost certainly higher since the Saudi authorities do not publish official figures. Although the majority of the women are Indonesian, there are also Filipina, Indian, Ethiopian and Thai maids facing the death penalty.

Furthermore, they are also subjected to arrests on sham charges of theft, assault and even witchcraft. Often victims of rape and sexual violence are accused of adultery and fornication. Indonesian Association for Migrant Workers sovereignty, a human rights group recorded over 5, 560 reports of physical and sexual abuse in Saudi Arabia in 2010 alone.

A weak legal infrastructure combined with a lack of legal rights has made access to justice remote. Many foreign workers have no way of defending themselves due to the lack of access to lawyers and translators. Entire trials are conducted in Arabic and many are prevented from contacting their embassies. Lack of proper investigations and legal proceedings allow abusers to escape justice. Full story...

Related posts:
  1. Maid's horrible torture by Saudi woman shocks Indonesia...
  2. A Nepali woman's ordeal in Saudi Arabia...
  3. Filipino maid in Saudi Arabia attacked with acid and stabbed to death...
  4. Lebanon: stop abuse of domestic workers...
  5. Kuwaiti couple threw Filipino maid from their car, drove over her...
  6. Abused Sri Lankan housemaids in Saudi Arabia cry for help...

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