JEDDAH — Fraud recruitment brokers have shifted their activities from the Philippines to Bangladesh after the grip was tightened on them by both the Labor Ministry and the Philippines Embassy. The ministry and the embassy stepped up their strict measures after 400 Saudis looking for housemaids from the Philippines were victimized by some brokers, according to a report published in Makkah Arabic daily on Wednesday. The brokers are promoting their activities in Bangladesh through social media promising Saudi families that they will bring housemaids in 20 days only if they paid SR20,000 which is three times more than the recruitment cost decided by the Labor Ministry. The brokers are taking SR10,000 in advance for recruitment from Bangladesh. Saeed Musawi, a former member of the National Recruitment Committee (NRC) of the Saudi Council of Chambers, said the recruitment offices in Bangladesh have refused to accept the recruitment cost of SR7,000 decided by the Labor Ministry and preferred to deal with the brokers so as to circumvent the rules. Market sources said the cost of recruitment of housemaids from Bangladesh has gone up by about 80 percent which is costly for local recruitment offices. They said the recruitment cost has gone up to $1,800 while the ministry earlier set the cost at $1,000. A recruiter said the training of housemaids in Bangladesh takes not less than four weeks which may force local recruitment offices to pay a delay fine. After a seven-year ban on Bangladeshi workers, Saudi Arabia reopened its job market for domestic helpers from Bangladesh. The Ministry of Labor started receiving applications to issue visas for Bangladeshi domestic workers from April this year.
