UAE | General

Kids left alone in Dubai as maid runs off

Distraught Iraqi mother seeks protection for sponsors after harrowing experience with hired help

  • By Sharmila Dhal, Senior Reporter
  • Published: 00:00 August 18, 2011
  • XPRESS

  • Image Credit: © XPRESS / Karen Dias
  • Single mother Zina shows a photograph of her absconding maid

Dubai: An Iraqi woman in Dubai is crying foul after an Indonesian maid she hired went missing last week, leaving her with little recourse to protection as a sponsor.

Zina, a single mother who works as an IT consultant in Dubai, said she was shocked to find that the maid, Sumyati Gembor Samin, left the house while she was away at work, even as her two daughters, 10 and 7, slept inside.

Huge costs

"I have installed a camera in my apartment and when I routinely called home from the office last Tuesday, everything seemed quiet. There was no response on the maid's mobile phone either. Sensing that something was wrong, I rushed home at around 11am only to find the main door open while my daughters were fast asleep inside."

The maid had left without a word, she said, alleging that a bag belonging to her children and a mobile phone were also missing.

Zina said she hired the maid from a manpower supply agency in Sharjah in December 2010 after coughing up around Dh15,000, in addition to the monthly salary of Dh800 that she was paying her since then. "The agency alone charged me Dh6,800. I paid Dh5,215 for the maid's residence visa, Dh755 for the entry permit, Dh605 for a change in visa status and Dh2,000 as servant deposit."

She alleged that when she contacted the agency, it washed of its hands on the grounds that it was a "runaway maid" case against which it was adequately protected. XPRESS tried to contact the agency but there was no response.

Zina, who also drew a blank at the Indonesian embassy and consulate, said she filed an "absconding" complaint against the maid with the immigration authorities last Tuesday. "When I filed the complaint, I ended up spending more money: Dh230 as ‘deportation of violator's fee' and Dh130 as ‘exit passenger fee'," she said. "This is so unfair. I cannot afford the huge costs. On top of it, I have no guarantees. Surely there has to be some way in which sponsors can protect themselves," said Zina, who is yet to get the servant deposit of Dh2,000 back.

The Iraqi woman said this was the second time she had gone through such an experience. But the first time round, she had managed to get back the Dh8,000 she had paid a Dubai-based agency with the help of immigration authorities as the maid had left just two weeks after joining duty.

"The problem now is the passage of time. Most agencies do not take responsibility in runaway cases after a period of one or three months," she claimed. "Where does that leave people like me?"

Comments (12)

Share your views

  1. Added 11:34 August 21, 2011

    To Anonymous, New York : She is a single, working mum. How is she supposed to earn a living if she has to stay home and look after her kids herself? I guess every single mum in the USA also stays home with the kids and lives on thin air rather than hire a childminder?

    Twinkle, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  2. Added 10:29 August 21, 2011

    My Indonesian maid absconded two weeks ago. She left me a note saying that she has found an employer who will pay her higher salary. Therefore, she willl be working illegally in the country.

    Monalisa, Dubai , United Arab Emirates

  3. Added 16:32 August 19, 2011

    The problem in my case is that she run away without any reason. I was treating her very well. She used to sit and have lunch and dinner with me on the same table. I also gave her extra money as a gift every three months. I even gave her a mobile phone and Dh100 every month to call her family. I also bought her a pair of gold earrings as a gift in June and I have the bill on her name paid through my credit card. How can I treat her badly when she’s supposed to take care of my children when I am at work? I was treating her like an employee and not as a maid. We are a small family and isn’t much much work to do. However, I blame those who decided to hire her despite knowing that she is an illegal worker and has ran away from her sponsor. Why isn’t the government forcing the agency to take some responsibility? It is unfair to pay so much for a hired help if she runs away and starts working for someone else.

    Anonymous, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  4. Added 06:50 August 19, 2011

    I sure feel for Zina. She is a single mother raising two kids on her own. The last thing she needs is this kind of ordeal.

    Najat Alazzawe, Cambridge, Canada

  5. Added 16:14 August 18, 2011

    The Iraqi woman said this was the second time she had gone through such an experience. Maybe it might happen with her again for the third, fourth, fifth or even ninth time. Why would maids run away if they are treated well? Some maids run away after stealing money, but that is not the case here. What did the camera records reveal?

    Anonymous, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  6. Added 15:26 August 18, 2011

    What does she expect? Outsourcing children’s care to a maid will sooner or later result in the same thing: children left alone by maids. She should start looking after her kids on her own.

    Anonymous, New York, United States

  7. Added 15:00 August 18, 2011

    Yes, it’s a big problem and costs huge money when a maid runs away. But maids are often abused by employers and that’s why security for them is of foremost importance. Of course, employers’ security is important, but the government must help both of them sincerely so that no one will face any form of injustice or cruelty. It’s a pity if the poor and the weak is abused in God’s name. I know all these problems because I’ve worked in a household in the UAE before.

    Lily Johansson, Illinois, Colona, United States

  8. Added 13:59 August 18, 2011

    These agencies and their maids are so unreliable. But still working mothers are often forced to recruit maids from such agencies. I feel the government’s rules for sponsoring a maid need to be changed. We might be earning less than Dh10,000, but we can still afford to have a maid. So the government needs to be a little considerate towards expatriates who are working and are in desperate need of maids, especially those who are capable of bearing all expenses, including maid visas.

    Anonymous, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  9. Added 13:55 August 18, 2011

    If anybody sees her around in Dubai or in other Emirates, please do call me on my mobile: 050-558 0738.

    Zina, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  10. Added 13:40 August 18, 2011

    Just get a maid from your home country so that you know more about her background history. It’s better than paying a large amount of money to agencies only to see your maid running away!

    Anonymous, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

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