The increasing demand for domestic workers has seen recruitment costs soar and has resulted in criminals trying to make money out of the situation. Brokers and some recruitment agencies are charging as much as SR30,000 to transfer domestic workers to other sponsors. The transfer of a Filipino domestic worker is the highest at SR30,000 while it is SR25,000 for Indonesians and Sri Lankans, according to a report in Al-Hayat Arabic daily newspaper. Specialists in the field have warned that there are some criminals operating in the recruitment industry. They place advertisements in print, online and broadcast media claiming they can transfer sponsorships. Sa'ad Al-Baddah, Chairman of the National Committee at the Council of Saudi Chambers, said all these advertisements are placed “by unlicensed, illegal brokers and agencies”. He warned against dealing with them. “Unfortunately they are seen in newspapers and on the Internet,” he said. He called on the authorities to intervene to curb these practices. “Such people harm the position and reputation of the Kingdom in the world, especially in countries that export workers to Saudi Arabia,” he said. “Transferring sponsorship is legal, but only through the same agency that recruited the housemaid and other official bodies related to the procedure.” Waleed Al-Suwaidan, an investor, said sponsorship transfers are legal, but advertisements showing charges of SR30,000 are considered a breach of regulations. “It is considered human trafficking by unlicensed persons,” he said. “Regulations stipulate that whoever relinquishes the sponsorship of a housemaid is not entitled to obtain an alternative visa, which indicates that the ads we see are nothing more than the business of unlicensed agencies and brokers,” he added. Hiring a housemaid through such agencies can result in a client losing lots of money. “A client cannot guarantee that the worker would stay as she can run away or refuse to work,” he said. Abdulraheem Bin Naser, a resident, said brokers publish advertisements announcing that housemaids of all nationalities are needed. “This means they would pay the sponsor for releasing his worker and transferring the sponsorship to them. They usually pay around SR15,000, and then they release the worker's sponsorship in favor of another employer for SR25,000 to SR30,000. Another issue is renting out housemaids which was widespread in Ramadan. Some families paid SR5,000 for a maid for the holy month because the demand was very high,” he said.
