Abuse of Domestic Workers in the Gulf (Ethiopian Women)

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Al-Jazeera English aired a story today about the abuse domestic workers suffer in the Gulf. The report included an interview with a women who came to work as a maid in the UAE from East Africa (her accent is Ethiopian, as far as I can tell). The maid was daily abused by her female employer for two years, from the second day of her employment and until a doctor notice her multiple injuries in a periodic medical checkup. The maid was beaten, burned with scolding water and hot iron, and was denied medical treatment for her injuries. She was forced to have sex with another maid, as their sadistic employer filmed them. The employer then used the video to blackmail the maid into not going to the police, saying that “the law is in her favor”.

Simel Isheb of the International Labor Organization told AJE that despite ministerial decrees across the region, domestic workers are still not protected by labor laws. Isheb added that the sponsorship system creates total dependency, which leads to “total vulnerability, and opens the door wide for abuse and exploitation”.

See the report here: