Indonesian state stops sending maids to Saudi

An Indonesian state which supplies nearly 70 per cent of Saudi Arabia’s demand for domestic workers, has decided to halt sending maids to the Gulf kingdom following reports of abuse of two maids from the southeast Asian country.

In comments published by the Saudi Okaz newspaper on Wednesday, the governor of West Nusa Tenggara said his state had completely stopped sending any housemaids to Saudi Arabia to put pressure on Jakarta to organise the recruitment of Indonesian domestic helpers in the kingdom.

“The ban, which began this week, will continue unless the federal government responds to the state’s demand,” Zain Al Abdeen Majedi said.

Indonesia’s central government has been under pressure to stop sending maids to Saudi Arabia temporarily pending an agreement between the two countries to ensure the safety of Indonesian maids in the kingdom.

The move followed the murder of an Indonesian maid by her male employer and the torture of another one by her female employer. There have also been reports of abuse of many other maids from Indonesia and other Asian nations.

Nearly two million housemaids work in Saudi Arabia, the largest Arab economy and the world’s oil superpower.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.