News / Saudi Arabia

Abuse of domestic workers continues in Saudi Arabia: Report

Tuesday, 27 December 2022 6:44 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 27 December 2022 6:44 PM ]

The file photo shows a migrant worker in Saudi Arabia. (Photo by AP)

A new report has revealed that domestic workers in Saudi Arabia continue to suffer from abuse at the hands of their employers, despite recent labor reforms in the kingdom.

According to a report by The Times on Monday, migrant housekeepers are being subjected to physical, mental, and sexual abuse by their employers in the country.

The report went on to say that the major reforms announced by Saudi Arabia for its migrants workers in 2021 do not apply to all the workers, arguing that the "new freedoms" have only been given to "those working in private sectors," such as oil and gas.

Saudi Arabia has a terrible reputation when it comes to the rights of migrant workers, who are forced to work long hours and invariably subjected to abuse.

In October 2020, the Saudi authorities announced that they were working on the notorious Kafala or sponsorship system, described by critics as "modern day slavery."

Forced to work long hours and subjected to abuse

Under the Kafala system, the legal status of migrant workers is controlled by their employers, leaving them prone to abuse and exploitation.

Saudi Arabia promised to roll out the Kafala reforms in March 2021. However, those reforms don’t apply to 3.7 million domestic workers as they are excluded from the kingdom's labor laws.

The latest report further noted that four million women and men who work as domestic helpers, farmers, and drivers "are still restricted,” adding that their employers have admitted that they had been denying laborers' passports, among other things.

It also said several human traffickers have admitted to employing “physical punishment” to punish their victims if they "talked back," and they demanded that the maids work nonstop for as little as $6 per day.

Despite being among the most wealthiest of countries, Saudi Arabia has a horrible human rights record. The kingdom has been accused of detaining thousands of African migrants and treating them in extremely inhumane and dreadful manner.

Western powers have a long history of ignoring heinous crimes and human rights violations in Saudi Arabia due to high dependence on oil and billions of dollars’ worth of arm sales to the kingdom.

The administration of US President Joe Biden recently granted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman legal immunity in Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s murder case, which angered many even within the ruling establishment in Washington.

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