Housemaids are uniquely liable to abuse. They work in someone’s home, they are sponsored and paid by that person, and the relationship is highly personal with no human resource manager or any third person to mediate the inevitable disputes that any work environment carries. It is unfortunate that some employers abuse this position, and it is outrageous that some employers are guilty of physical abuse and worse.
This is why housemaids need the full protection of the UAE Labour Law, which has proved itself effective in thousands of cases. It can also be supported by helplines manned by people speaking the right languages and ready to act in cases of difficulty. The Ministry of Interior has already improved the old informal situation by insisting that all housemaids are employed on a government-written, unified contract, but more is needed. It is natural that the housemaids’ home countries want to see their citizens safe, but simply banning citizens from seeking this kind of employment does not help. The way to achieve that is to work with the UAE law, which makes clear that cases of abuse should be prosecuted.
