Zero tolerance must be shown to hired help abuse

Sunday, May 25, 2014

Authorities in Saudi Arabia are to work together with officials from the Philippines embassy in Riyadh to investigate the case of a 23-year-old domestic helper who was allegedly scalded by her employer.

This investigation is both opportune and welcome as there can be no tolerance given to any household, regardless of status or wealth, that wilfully and deliberately sets out to abuse their hired help.

Since the images of this poor woman and her horrific injuries were posted on social media, there has been an understandable outcry. Now, with news of the investigation, it’s obvious that that outcry has been heard in Riyadh.

Let this case be a watershed moment in Saudi Arabia where, sadly, such reports are commonplace, occurring with alarming regularity.

But there must also be a lesson for those who take up offers from domestic help agencies that appear too good to be true.

Maybe Saudi Arabia should look to the UAE’s laws on protecting domestic help as a blueprint for its way forward.

By Gulf News