Saudi Arabia

SAUDI ASKS WHY COUNTRYMEN ABUSE GUEST WORKERS…….

 

Saudi Arabia, a place where one can still visit the seventh century and not be in museum.

Why do some Saudis treat expat workers like slaves?

LOCAL VIEWPOINT

Last updated: Friday, October 10, 2014 11:01 PM

Saleh Zayad
Makkah

What is the meaning of a work contract if the employer can keep an expat worker with him against his will for the rest of his life or for a large portion of it? Why do some Saudi employers not seem to care about the freedom of their expat workers or their wish to return home?

You may find it surprising that such things happen in the Kingdom, but the authorities discovered one case in Riyadh of an expat worker kept in the Kingdom against her will a few years after a similar tragic case was uncovered in the northern city of Hail.

I used the word “surprising” because nothing of that sort is expected to happen in the Kingdom, the cradle of Islam, which has greatly developed its work laws to comply with international labor regulations.

Saudi Arabia is an active member of the International Labor Organization (ILO). It has also joined world agreements on human rights. Despite  the development of our education system, media and life in general, unbelievable incidents do happen to expatriate workers in Saudi Arabia.

The latest of these tragic stories happened to Najmum an Indian housemaid who came to the Kingdom to work in 1998 and lost contact with her family back home from that time until September 2014. In 2002, four years after Najmum arrived in Saudi Arabia, her family started searching for her.

Her disappearance was even reported on a local Indian TV station. Then early this year, a Sri Lankan housemaid, who returned home from Riyadh, informed the family in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu that she had seen the missing woman in Riyadh. Her son and her brother came to Riyadh looking for her with the help of the Indian embassy. After an arduous search they were able to find her. Najmum worked for her sponsor for 16 years without pay.

More here. h/t: Fjordman

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