Abu Dhabi, Nov 12th, 2007 (WAM): A study published by Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ADCCI) has warned the people of the dangers and negative influences of employing domestic servants. Citing alarming figures of domestic servants working in the country, the study also called for showing self restraints when employing them and to opt for them only in situations of acute necessity.

The study prepared by the Centre for Information at ADCCI also underlined the need for mobilising the media to launch effective campaigns aimed at creating public awareness about the devastative effects of recklessly employing domestic servants.

It also stressed the need for setting up special centres for providing training for the domestic servants as they play an important role in bringing up children in any home they work.

A demographic policy should be formulated to control the influx of foreign domestic servants into the country in a way that they will not constitute more than two percent of the total population; the study suggested.

Currently the domestic servants make up five percent of the total UAE population, where as they constitute over 6 percent of the population in the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Out of the total 268000 domestic servants working in the country, over 120000 are employed in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, showing an increase by 15 percent. In some cases the number of domestic servants exceeds the number of family members, the study notedThis anomaly is seriously alarming, and the whole community, especially the citizens have to pay the price for its negative impacts on the culture, the social structure and the economy.

Citing official figures the study noted that over Dhs.3 billion are spent on domestic servants in the country every year and nearly half of this amount is spent in the emirate of Abu Dhabi alone.

Many households employ domestic servants as a show of pride, claimed the study.

The most alarming fact is that many families depend on the domestic help even for simple and basic needs which they can perform by themselves. Bringing up of children is one among them, and entrusting children with domestic servants for giving them care and attention can damage their future, especially when the servants come from various cultural environments; warned the study.

The study also recommended a high level of control on recruitment agencies and pointed towards the need for regulating this sector by a single unified law.

Gulf countries and UAE are considered one among the largest countries employing domestic servants on global level. Over 83600 entry permits were issued this year for domestic servants according to statistics provided by Ministry of Interior. Filipina and Indonesian servants constitute nearly eighty percent of the total workers in the market. Emirati families bring in over 65 percent of the Filipina servants every year, the study said.

According to the study the total number of all workers constitutes 52 percent of the UAE population and the domestic servants form 5 percent of the population. This is a demographical anomaly compared to the population structure of any country, claimed the study.