More Maid Abuse!
Another horrible case of maid abuse has come to light, once again from Saudi Arabia. Fitri Iskander was methodically brutalized by her Saudi employers, and after a period of months was put, injured, aboard a plane for home. She was given a black abaya to wear aboard the plane to hide her injuries. She fainted enroute, and fellow passengers notified the crew. She was taken off the plane in Doha, and sent immediately to Hamad hospital for treatment.
You can read the full stories in the Peninsula, one of the local newspapers here in Qatar, just click here, …and here. The Gulf Times also ran a piece, click here.
As I am looking up the links to this case, I find yet another, this one was originally reported out of Saudi. Massive burn injuries and sexual assault were inflicted upon another Indonesian maid, 25 year old Suniati Sujari . Click here. This is worse than despicable!
If there is any good at all that comes of this, I am grateful to see that the local press is picking this up. These stories are not new. Maid abuse has been an on-going problem throughout the Gulf for quite some time. The problem is that these cases have been historically swept under the rug by both the media and the criminal justice system. Publicizing these cases brings the scrutiny of society onto those that would commit these crimes, and also those that would conspire to hide them.
Freedom of the press is a relatively new concept in the Gulf. Qatar and the UAE have a high degree of it, and the other states are following along, more or less at their own pace (Qatar’s press is so free that even the USA disapproves at times, note Al-Jazeera!). Because these cases are getting publicity that similar cases a few years ago would not have, it appears as if maid abuse is on the rise. I doubt this strongly. The variable that has changed here is in the reporting, not the abusing.
Certain embassies have called for a ban on their citizens working in the Gulf. I think this is a craven and cowardly response to this problem. Those same embassies know very well to what extent their citizens have been victimized by employers here. The embassies handle repatriation for these women whether or not their cases make the newspaper, and it seems that as long as there is no bad press, these cases don’t bother them much. Only now, in recent months when these stories are being published for everyone to read do the embassies seem to take issue with it. They have known about it for years.
The result of this response is that it doesn’t address the abuse, but rather has the effect of discouraging the reporting of it. If too many cases are reported in the newspaper, then certain categories of workers may no longer be available to certain Gulf countries. If there is public silence, then the embassies seem to have no problem with the abuse. A better approach would be for the embassies to insist on aggressive prosecution of those individuals that commit these crimes. It wouldn’t even require any new laws, just better enforcement of the ones that already exist. The sight of a few Saudis going to prison for a long time, plus maybe some well-publicized abuse hot-lines made available to these women will better serve them, and keep them safer, than any government ban on labor to Saudi.
Maid abuse is by no means limited to the Gulf. Plenty of these cases occur elsewhere. One of the worst cases I have heard of involved a Chinese employer in Singapore. Even western ex-pats have been implicated from time to time. Maid abuse is fairly rare, and it occurs anyplace that allows the few sick people who practice it to get away with it. These poor women and their families depend upon their remittances. Maids in the Gulf earn the equivalent of professional level salaries in their home countries, and if you read the resumes you find that a certain number of applicants even have college degrees. Banning people from working in the Gulf merely serves to send the problem elsewhere. The Gulf will find another source for maids, and the maids will find another host country, and nothing much will change.
Rant finished. The follow up to Fitri Iskander’s case is endearing. No one in Qatar knew her, and the assault didn’t occur here, but there has nevertheless been a public outpouring of support for her. I went up to her room at Hamad (room 650, bed 1) to pay my respects and offer sympathy (you can do that here, privacy laws are different). Surrounding her bed was a cluster of ladies, mostly Qataris in niqab, but others too. There were gifts, and food and flowers, and the ladies seemed to be keeping her spirits up.
Fitri looked good. It was an awkward situation in a way. Because I was a stranger, and also due to the presence of the niqabis, I kept things short and to the point. I didn’t get a chance to ask her much, and there were language barriers, so details were lost. But all in all she is doing well, her affect is cheerful, and she seemed grateful for all the attention. It looks like she will do just fine, God willing. I would ask my Qatari readers to do me a favor. Go up to Hamad as soon as you read this, and give her a gift. Money won’t fix what has already happened to her, but perhaps it can serve to ease or avoid any future difficulties she may have. She is a traveler in need, and worthy of zakat (charity). Thanks!
You can read the full stories in the Peninsula, one of the local newspapers here in Qatar, just click here, …and here. The Gulf Times also ran a piece, click here.
As I am looking up the links to this case, I find yet another, this one was originally reported out of Saudi. Massive burn injuries and sexual assault were inflicted upon another Indonesian maid, 25 year old Suniati Sujari . Click here. This is worse than despicable!
If there is any good at all that comes of this, I am grateful to see that the local press is picking this up. These stories are not new. Maid abuse has been an on-going problem throughout the Gulf for quite some time. The problem is that these cases have been historically swept under the rug by both the media and the criminal justice system. Publicizing these cases brings the scrutiny of society onto those that would commit these crimes, and also those that would conspire to hide them.
Freedom of the press is a relatively new concept in the Gulf. Qatar and the UAE have a high degree of it, and the other states are following along, more or less at their own pace (Qatar’s press is so free that even the USA disapproves at times, note Al-Jazeera!). Because these cases are getting publicity that similar cases a few years ago would not have, it appears as if maid abuse is on the rise. I doubt this strongly. The variable that has changed here is in the reporting, not the abusing.
Certain embassies have called for a ban on their citizens working in the Gulf. I think this is a craven and cowardly response to this problem. Those same embassies know very well to what extent their citizens have been victimized by employers here. The embassies handle repatriation for these women whether or not their cases make the newspaper, and it seems that as long as there is no bad press, these cases don’t bother them much. Only now, in recent months when these stories are being published for everyone to read do the embassies seem to take issue with it. They have known about it for years.
The result of this response is that it doesn’t address the abuse, but rather has the effect of discouraging the reporting of it. If too many cases are reported in the newspaper, then certain categories of workers may no longer be available to certain Gulf countries. If there is public silence, then the embassies seem to have no problem with the abuse. A better approach would be for the embassies to insist on aggressive prosecution of those individuals that commit these crimes. It wouldn’t even require any new laws, just better enforcement of the ones that already exist. The sight of a few Saudis going to prison for a long time, plus maybe some well-publicized abuse hot-lines made available to these women will better serve them, and keep them safer, than any government ban on labor to Saudi.
Maid abuse is by no means limited to the Gulf. Plenty of these cases occur elsewhere. One of the worst cases I have heard of involved a Chinese employer in Singapore. Even western ex-pats have been implicated from time to time. Maid abuse is fairly rare, and it occurs anyplace that allows the few sick people who practice it to get away with it. These poor women and their families depend upon their remittances. Maids in the Gulf earn the equivalent of professional level salaries in their home countries, and if you read the resumes you find that a certain number of applicants even have college degrees. Banning people from working in the Gulf merely serves to send the problem elsewhere. The Gulf will find another source for maids, and the maids will find another host country, and nothing much will change.
Rant finished. The follow up to Fitri Iskander’s case is endearing. No one in Qatar knew her, and the assault didn’t occur here, but there has nevertheless been a public outpouring of support for her. I went up to her room at Hamad (room 650, bed 1) to pay my respects and offer sympathy (you can do that here, privacy laws are different). Surrounding her bed was a cluster of ladies, mostly Qataris in niqab, but others too. There were gifts, and food and flowers, and the ladies seemed to be keeping her spirits up.
Fitri looked good. It was an awkward situation in a way. Because I was a stranger, and also due to the presence of the niqabis, I kept things short and to the point. I didn’t get a chance to ask her much, and there were language barriers, so details were lost. But all in all she is doing well, her affect is cheerful, and she seemed grateful for all the attention. It looks like she will do just fine, God willing. I would ask my Qatari readers to do me a favor. Go up to Hamad as soon as you read this, and give her a gift. Money won’t fix what has already happened to her, but perhaps it can serve to ease or avoid any future difficulties she may have. She is a traveler in need, and worthy of zakat (charity). Thanks!
posted by dervish at Tuesday, April 12, 2005
2 Comments:
Rio de Janeiro from Brazil see you
it's appalling how some people can treat their maids like toys, sexual objects not even worthy but treatment worthy of even an animal!
I'm glad you have sympathy and offered zakat to this poor young lady.
I applaud your gesture and wish that more muslims would have the same unselfish heart as you have, as many muslims now think nothing but themselbes, severing themselves from their deen by doing so.
It's nice to read your blog. I used to have very bad impressions of all arabs, believing them to be all as hell-bound as Saudis, but your impression of Qatar seems to be very enlightening, even though u mentioned once that other Qataris are criticising you for not "exposing" the bad side of Qatar.
I used to believe that too, but reading your post, it seems i have wronged some arabs - that underneath a niqab is not some selfish, dumb bimbo but a thinking, living breathing human who has sympathy and love for others as well, and that every society is changing as it goes...so every small step of progress should not be forced nor hurried, but taken step by step, carefully, celebrated and learnt.
Thank you for your enlightening photos, writings, views and do keep it up!
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