DAR AL ISLAM - SAUDI ARABIA: WE NEED MORE MAIDS, WE JUST DON'T WANT TO PAY THEM MORE

Upsurge in Demand for Runaway Maids

MAKKAH, 31 July 2007 — With many countries, including the Philippines and Indonesia, refusing to send maids to the Kingdom unless their salaries are increased, the Kingdom is seeing an upsurge in the black-market demand for runaway maids, Al-Madinah newspaper reported.

The Philippines has refused to send maids to the Kingdom unless they receive SR1,500 per month.

The Indonesian government has followed suit and is demanding SR800 for their maids. About 50,000 Indonesian maids currently wait permission to leave Indonesia for the Kingdom.

Officials at various recruiting offices told Al-Madinah newspaper that Sir Lankan agencies have also demanded increases in the salaries of Sri Lankan maids to SR600.

According to Al-Madinah, Sri Lankan maids are afraid of coming to the Kingdom following the recent case of Rizana Nafeek, the teenage maid who was found guilty by a Saudi court of causing the death of a four-month-old Saudi boy. Nafeek is currently appealing against her death sentence.

“The authorities need to find a solution to the problem. This will only cause an increase in the demand for runaway maids because people are left with no other choice,” said Muhammad Al-Ghamdi, a Saudi citizen looking for a maid.

According to Saudi government statistics, over 30 percent of runaway maids are Indonesians. Citizens also urged the government to look into bringing maids from other countries to solve the shortage of maids.



Have these moslem Arabs given thought to actually rolling up their sleeves and doing the work themselves?!?


Pertinent Links:

1) Upsurge in Demand for Runaway Maids