Dubai: Prosecutors have called on parents to be more considerate in dealing with maids and not to leave them alone with their children.
“Maids might commit any sort of crime … that’s why parents should never keep them out of their sight. But parents should constantly consider and respect maids’ rights and obligations and never mistreat them,” said Senior Prosecutor Ahmad Yousuf Al Ali on Tuesday.
Al Ali’s warning came in light of an Asian maid being referred to the Dubai Misdemeanours Court where she will be prosecuted for alledgedly burning the leg of an eight-month-old baby girl with a heated tool.
Prosecution records said the baby sustained second degree burns and was rushed to hospital.
Senior Chief Prosecutor Sami Al Shamsi, Prosecutor General and Head of Bur Dubai Prosecution, said Dubai Police’s forensic examiners confirmed that the burns were caused by a hard tool that the suspected maid heated before placing it on the baby’s leg.
“The girl’s mother headed to Bur Dubai police station where she lodged a complaint and accused the maid of torturing her daughter and burning her leg. The maid had been working for the complainant for nearly a year and a half. The mother said in her complaint that she discovered her baby’s skin had burns and was red two days after the alleged incident happened. She said while washing her baby she noticed the burns on the left leg. The mother claimed that her maid’s recent behaviour surprised her because she constantly insisted on bathing the baby herself and did not allow her to do so,” said Al Shamsi.
When questioned by prosecutors, the suspect was cited claiming that she mistakenly opened the hot water faucet while washing the baby instead of the cold water.
She pleaded not guilty contending that she did not intend to burn the baby’s leg while changing her diaper.
“She claimed that she took the baby to the bedroom and put an ointment on her leg to treat the burns. The defendant alleged that she did not inform the baby’s mother because she was afraid of her reaction since she [sponsor] had been mistreating her. However, the mother discovered the accident once she saw the burn marks on her baby’s leg. Meanwhile the forensic examiner confirmed during questioning that the burns were caused by a hard tool [an ironing machine or utensil] that was heated. The examiner testified that the burns were in one spot and not scattered [which would have been the case had it been hot water burns],” said Al Ali.
The UAE Penal Code incriminates the act of injuring someone, he added.
“Many maids act in vengeance and vent their anger on their sponsors’ children whenever they are abused, tortured or mistreated by the parents. Maids get outraged and tend to exploit the children and use them as tools of revenge. That’s why parents should be considerate in treating maids… they should not keep them unmonitored when they are alone with the children,” cautioned Al Ali.
