Saudi to ban Lankan maids

26 January 2010 02:21 pm

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)