So I was reading a Saudi newspaper, and came across a really weird news story. Now, I have been reading this newspaper for a while, and much like other newspaper around the world, it has its own share of strange stories, which are printed mostly for entertainment. But this one takes the cake. What makes it even stranger is that this is not a news story, but more of a advice and opinion column.
What in the WORLD??? Those are options for some people? A day off per week to an employee who is employed 24 hours a day is an option? And be gentle with her? Does this really have to be told? What is this 2000 BC Egypt?
And then this..
Locking up the maid? Is she a horse or something? She is a human being, and human beings shouldn’t be treated like this.
What really gets me is the style of writing the story is more like that of an auto magazine advice column. Want to make your car run longer, well then do this this and this. The writer is writing in a tone which implies that it is ok to do the above things, but if you want results, do this instead. It’s one thing to be ashamed of how “lower class” is treated in the country, and another thing to write about it in care free manner.
What a sad story. The writer needs to get his head examined.
lMAO weird newpaper!!!
Tbh tho' in saudi maids are treated really badly, and in many cases are sexually abused on a regular basis its no surpirse many of them run away!!!
Friggin' country needs to get its head examined. Brutality is nothing new for them, its how they solve problems. Someone doesn't listen to you - push them down or hit them. I saw that happen ALL the time in Makkah - in the Haram for God's sake. Pilgrim's couldn't understand what the guards were telling them, and wham, they got pushed down. Friggin' guard did that once to an old lady in front of my face.
Its a sad time for muslims around the world. They don't know how to treat people respectfully, and the world laughs at us for our stupidity. You're right, a maid should have basic human rights like anyone else, and to think some moron tried to lock her up, and then couldn't figure out why all his maids run away?
I don't wish to start arab bashing but after my interaction with them so far I wouldn't be surprised at this news, rather I'd appreciate the writer for trying to put some senses in those brutal minds.
the article is BS. the only good way to keep your maid from running is to keep your house surrounded with attack dogs u've starved and whipped daily while wearing an Imelda Marcos mask.
if u come to this part of the world, u will see how difficult it is to actually "keep" your maid....
the poor man spends money and effort to get a maid to come over to his country, gets all the paper work cleared, and then the maid happily runs off to work elsewhere "illegally" and the poor man is stuck and has now to face all the legal procedures first to clear his name from the old maid and then go thru the cycle to get a new one....
under this situation if a person locks the maid in her room at night (those rooms usually have the bathroom and kitchen attached to them), then what exactly is the problem????
the guy just wants to sleep relaxed knowing that the maid wont run away under the blanket of the darkness....
take our local newspapers and u will hardly find a day when u dont read a headline similar to "maid runs away with lover/caught with lover" etc....
I'm living in Dubai for the last year and am NOT surprised by the attitude the paper has..people here have the same attitude. Maid's don't get days off, are treated like 24 hour slaves sometimes, people are rude to their maids, don't let them have friends/go out b/c they'll get ideas/be moody/make demands.
People don't stop to think about their own work life/experience and what makes them happy and don't think that their maid would have the same attitude.
oh and one more thing it's not just Muslims doing this..my Indian maid told me a friend had a Sindi hindu "madam" who slaped her. Also it's not just Dubai natives/people from pak/india who have this attitude, many expat muslim/desi/goras come here and are the same
if u come to this part of the world, u will see how difficult it is to actually "keep" your maid....
the poor man spends money and effort to get a maid to come over to his country, gets all the paper work cleared, and then the maid happily runs off to work elsewhere "illegally" and the poor man is stuck and has now to face all the legal procedures first to clear his name from the old maid and then go thru the cycle to get a new one....
under this situation if a person locks the maid in her room at night (those rooms usually have the bathroom and kitchen attached to them), then what exactly is the problem????
the guy just wants to sleep relaxed knowing that the maid wont run away under the blanket of the darkness....
take our local newspapers and u will hardly find a day when u dont read a headline similar to "maid runs away with lover/caught with lover" etc....
You are just justifying slavery. Would you like to get locked up at your job? With this attitude waderas could justify their acts too.
Although there’s no excuse for brutality against maids and any violence needs to be condemned… some people who “lock” their maids do so due to fear of legal repercussions they may be personally subjected to only because of something wrong that their maids did.
Household help is usually brought into the country through sponsorship… i.e. the employer typically gets a maid from abroad and assumes all responsibility for her. Now, if the maid comes into the country with her own agenda… such as running away to work for someone else illegally, or in extreme cases, even get involved in sex trade… can you imagine the torment and ordeal that the sponsoring employer will have to endure – legal action and deportation are very common for the employing parties.
My family has had its own share of problems with getting help when we were in the Emirates. It was at a time when my mom was sick and unable to take care of the house. I don’t remember all the details but we had to let go of the maids within a couple of months – just because they had come into the country for reasons other than finding genuine employment.
Again, I’m not condemning cruelty against maids… but just bringing attention to some reasons why employers are strict and controlling. Needless to say… beating them, not giving time off, and locking them up are not the ideal ways to go about handling the situation.
The very pristine Islamic teaching of doing things with your own hands, is kinda hard to come by, even in Islamic countries. We only want to read and feel good about how the prophet used to mend his own shoes and sew his own shirts, but lets keep this happy thought for maids, preferably foreign born.
Last I checked most "middle eastern" countries had an average unemployment rate of 20% .. maybe they all need maids to make them hookah while they watch Aljazeera!
What I don't get is, why the low pay for maids? If maids are so crucial for their lifestyle, then why not pay them more? I hear fancy stories about how every citizen in Abu Dhabi is worth $20 Million each, and how every citizen in such and such place owns 10 exotic cars. What difference then would it make if the maid was paid more?
You are just justifying slavery. Would you like to get locked up at your job? With this attitude waderas could justify their acts too.
wud u like to spend a lot of money getting someone from abroad to come and work for u, just to find out that the very next day the person is running off....
and many people who work in the industry r locked up within their premises....
u cant leave until after the duty hours....
its not slavery, just that the owner wants the return for his money....
they are afterall thekedar of the whole world.