Saudi to ban Lankan maids

Tuesday, 26 January 2010 19:51

There is a move on the part of Saudi authorities to stop housemaids coming from certain countries including Sri Lanka. Ali Al-Quraishi, vice president of the local Labor Recruitment Committee said Saudi is serious in imposing a ban on the import of housemaids from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Cambodia and Vietnam.

“The main reason for considering such a ban is that the labor recruiters in those countries are not qualified enough to supply housemaids that suit the local culture and tradition. There is no proper selection process of housemaids to suit this market, nor are they given orientation before they leave their countries,” he added.

Al-Quraishi said local employers have found that maids from these countries make no effort to adapt to local conditions. “They don’t even show any inclination to cope with local traditions and culture,” he said. “We have decided to be extra-careful when dealing with such foreign labor, especially after some reports that housemaids were involved in child murders and incidents of violence,” he added. (Arab News)

Comments

-13+50 # Guest 2010-01-26 19:59

I am really appreciated,,, decision of Saudi Labout Recruitment..... MOST WELCOME !!!!

-7+77 # Guest 2010-01-26 20:04

Ablessing in disguise. These housemaids are used worse than slaves and not paid. They are physically and sexually abused.The unlucky ones are sent home as cargo - in coffins. We have been urging ths for a long time and if this is happening from the other side we welcome it. Please stop sending housemaids to entire Middle East, including Lebanon and Jordan. Many of the housemaids they do not know what is in store for them. They should be made aware of the attrocities from the master and the mistress..

-4+33 # Guest 2010-01-26 20:27

My Friend, More than 1 million sri lankan's work abroad. Do you think all of thm are in good position job no the mojority are housemaids. We should urge the authorities resposible in sri lanka to take steps in educating them with their role which would bring professionalism in their respective job. Else who will provide them food... Government! If so in 2 months you will start complaining high taxes.. high cost of living... etc

-2+16 # Guest 2010-01-26 22:39

This is a good incentive for the government to stop exporting unskilled labour!

-15+12 # Guest 2010-01-26 20:05

Dear Hon. King Kindly reconsider the situation. This situation brought poor attitude of our labours & misleading the recruiting agent.

-3+34 # Guest 2010-01-26 20:07

Hope our government would proviode jobs to our women within our country to prevent them from getting into unpleasant experiences specially in the midlle east countries.

-20+13 # Guest 2010-01-26 20:13

Well done minister. Soon they will ban make workers too.

-4+18 # Guest 2010-01-26 20:14

It is true that most of the maids from sri lanka, here do bad things including elligal relationship with men and theft etc. most of these maids are uneducated but at the same time the way employers treat to these poor women are even more worst. so any how it is good for both saudi as well as sri lanka to stop maids bringing from sri lanka. I think government should make a proper system for sending maids to abroad. good training first then demand a better salary.

-6+41 # Guest 2010-01-26 20:20

This is probably the joke of the day coming from the biggest perpetrators of the crime. Sri Lanka should ban housemaids from going to work in Saudi Arabia and other oppressive states.

if whoever comes into power, trims this cabinet of ministers who are as big as the waistlines of the members of it and reduces corruption many expat Sri Lankans will return home and invest in their home country. Then the jobs created will pay these immigrant workers well and they can still be able to come home to their children.

Sending housemaids to these oppressive states is a form of slavery !

-3+54 # Guest 2010-01-26 20:22

We know how Saudi treat our maids. Our sisters must be banned from going to work under these heartless people. Though I am a Muslim, I am ashamed of Saudis for the way they treat house maids contrary to Islamic teachings.

-1+23 # Guest 2010-01-26 20:23

I think even if the saudis didn't ban this we should have done this service to our women who are enslaved in that country.

-20+30 # Guest 2010-01-26 20:25

what an insult to Sri Lanka. These idiots were riding on camels a few years back, and what conditions are they talking about? An uncouth and totally decadent society has the gall to say that our people are not suited for them. Who are they going to recruit....from England?

-2+25 # Guest 2010-01-26 20:25

We should stop this as all husbands are enjoying the money earned by these poor ladies while the husbands in SL:

just sit on the boundary walls;
taking their childrens to the schools;
going behind the politicians

-2+21 # Guest 2010-01-26 20:30

What ever the reason, it is a good move for Sri Lankans. The greedy business people were selling our mothers and sisters for dollars, and those Goni Billas are expecting labour and labour from our women for a penny or nothing.

Let the Goni billas do the business withe their own Billians

-2+12 # Guest 2010-01-26 20:31

I'm thinking about our part. Have we done enough to upgrade the standards of this industry. It's over 30 years experience we have........

-3+12 # Guest 2010-01-26 20:34

does adapting to local culture mean being ok with harassment? i work in dubai and i know how things happen over here. the saudis are just looking for an excuse to avoid the cost of compensation!

-2+10 # Guest 2010-01-26 20:34

MOST WELCOME......

-16+10 # Guest 2010-01-26 20:36

Srilanka was dependant on this Slavery money not from development or economy.AfterMR thisat highest level.Karuna MR PARTNERSHIP

-3+27 # Guest 2010-01-26 20:36

no worries... we have enough opportunities coming up within the country now. The era we earned foreign currency through slavery is good to come to an end now!

-13+2 # Guest 2010-01-26 22:44

SF will sought out this problem, don't worry!

-2+14 # Guest 2010-01-26 21:42

Shame, Sri Lanka must stop exporting Sri Lankan women and find them job in the country or given them skill training.

-5+5 # Guest 2010-01-26 21:49

pity the women of lanka slaving in a foreign land nit equiped to deal with foreign women. yes before they leave they must be coached educated in the basic things with some help fro saudi government wfat is expected strangers in strange land with strange people.. not easy. need psychological social mental counselling./ one is not get paid for nothing. so learn before you leave a foreign land . man is an an animal not everyone is so..

-3+10 # Guest 2010-01-26 21:57

It is one of the very good decision since I feel very
sorry for the ladies who come over here for jobs,
if she gets a good employer she is lucky but if
she fells into a useless house it will be worst than
a hell.Only the body will go from here.Just think
about their kids what would be their fate.

Sri Lankan government must take alternative steps
to find jobs by opening various type of projects,since
there is no more war there,so that
ladies need to go out as house maids.

Hey politicians of Sri Lanka atleast use your sense
at this belated stage.Give respect for our ladies in
Sri Lanka.

-3+8 # Guest 2010-01-26 22:00

It because they have to pay more to SL maids. But it is all for better that sri lankan women aren't going there. SL government should have thought of imposing ban long time ago.

-2+8 # Guest 2010-01-26 22:30

Get with it people - it has been 61 years since Independance! Is exporting your mothers, wives and sisters, as slaves, the best you can come up with?

-1+9 # Guest 2010-01-26 22:44

We should have stopped this "meat business" (as the agents call it) a long time ago!

-2+2 # Guest 2010-01-27 00:06

Thank you Saudi Arabia, it's a belated decision!

-1+5 # Guest 2010-01-27 00:37

This is the best news for 2010! Thank God! Our women were treated like slaves! I hope the Saudis will not be able to hire women, from any country, until they implement better conditions, for foreign labor.

-1+4 # Guest 2010-01-27 01:03

This move should have been initiated by our government, in the first place! It is true that these women must 'make a living,' to help support their families, but is it really worth it? Abused and harassed in a land foreign to them with nowhere to go and no one to seek shelter from ... Let's hope a 'new dawn' will soon fall on these women, which will end their suffering, once and for all!

-1+8 # Guest 2010-01-27 01:57

Exactly what 'culture' are the Saudi's talking about?

-2+11 # Guest 2010-01-27 02:25

Firstly, all men should learn to protect their own women! If a man cannot provide food or shelter, expecting his wife's earnings, then we cannot call them men!

-1+4 # Guest 2010-01-27 02:38

Blessing in disguise.

-4+7 # Guest 2010-01-27 02:52

At last our poor girls will be safe from being 'sex slaves' and being treated like animals, in the middle eastern countries.

-2+4 # Guest 2010-01-27 03:34

Thank heaven for this! It was a long time coming!

-1+7 # Guest 2010-01-27 04:04

Good move - saves our poor families!

-3+6 # Guest 2010-01-27 15:37

Saudi culture ? Beheadings, whippings, stonings thats what saudi culture amounts to. Its best the saudi women start doing their own housework after all they are not qualified or capable of doing much else.

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