JEDDAH: Saudi Arabian recruitment agents will now be seeking to employ workers from countries other than Indonesia and the Philippines. This comes after these countries introduced stringent new requirements, which they say will protect their nationals, particularly housemaids, from physical and financial abuse. Plans are now under way to employ about 10,000 workers from Bangladesh. Other countries sending workers to the Kingdom include Ethiopia, India, Nepal, Eritrea, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Mali and Kenya. Ali Al-Qurashi, a member of the Foreign Recruitment Committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), rejected press reports claiming that recruitment from Indonesia has stopped, but said talks on the new requirements are continuing. Didi Wahuydi, Consul of Citizen Protection at the Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah, also confirmed that the Saudi government has not officially stopped recruitment from Indonesia. “We have not received any official statement from the Saudi government saying that it will stop hiring Indonesian laborers,” Wahuydi said recently. He said that the main purpose of the new regulations is to protect the rights of his countrymen and women. The new regulations require Saudi families to provide a map of their house, pictures of family members, proof of earnings and how many people will have to be served. These requirements were rejected by the Council of Foreign Recruitment Committee of Saudi Chamber of Commerce earlier this month. Some maids have voiced their complaints about working in the Kingdom. An Indonesian maid, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Saudi Gazette that she was overloaded with work. “The Arab woman I worked for provided a visa for me. I had to clean her villa every day, which had many rooms and toilets including lots of furniture. Moreover, I was looking after her six naughty children and she forced me to clean their garage and cars every day.” Dedeh Kurniyasih, a 37-year-old Indonesian maid, said she was financially abused. “I came 18 months ago to the Kingdom for a monthly salary of SR800. However, she (sponsor) paid me only for a month,” she said. “She even accused me of stealing SR9,000. I decided to quit and return to my home country,” she said. She said she went to Madina where she met an Indonesian man who helped her contact the Indonesian consulate in Jeddah. According to the Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah, 100,000 domestic workers arrive in the Kingdom every year from Indonesia. A further 24,000 illegal workers arrive every year. Wahyudi said the problem of runaway workers will not be solved until the rights of workers are protected. He defended the new requirements for workers, to make sure the Saudi sponsor is good and can pay the worker's salary. “Saudis are free to choose from wherever they want. We have offers from Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei,” said Wahyudi. Many Saudis rejected claims they treat their workers badly. Mohammad Marshy, a Saudi citizen, said he spent over SR6,000 to recruit his Indonesian housemaid and was shocked when she ran away after one month. He said he later discovered she ran away to find work for more money. Vincent M. Cabe, Labor Attaché of the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah, agreed that some maids run away because they are looking for more money. Meanwhile, Bangladeshi government and private bodies are training workers in preparation for working in the Kingdom, according to S.M. Haroon Or-Rashid, Counselor (Labor) Embassy of Bangladesh in Riyadh. Merwan Bedri, Consul General of Ethiopia, said agreements with the Kingdom would benefit its workers financially and spiritually. There are more than 60,000 Ethiopian laborers currently working in the Kingdom. “We do not have the exact number of housemaids who will come to the Kingdom. That depends on supply and demand,” said Bedri. He said demand has been increasing. Bedri added that it was important to have regulations to protect the rights of workers.
