Dubai: Almost a 1,000 cases were dealt with by the Domestic Helpers Dispute Department since its inception in the middle of last year.
Of the total number, 245 were related to absconding cases, 54 were complaints related to withholding passport, while 338 were requests to cancel work permits, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) has revealed.
The department, a sub-branch of the Follow up on Illegals and Foreigners Sector, which was officially launched last year, is dedicated to handling complaints from domestic helpers in Dubai and resolving their concerns. The department is located in the Al Aweer branch of the GDRFA.
The domestic helpers’ category includes occupations such as nannies, drivers, cooks, maids, farmers and watchmen.
Maj Gen Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, director of GDRFA, said in the year since its launch, the department has made a number of achievements. “The department’s sole mission is to preserve the rights of domestic helpers. It mediates any disputes that may arise between employers, their sponsors and recruitment offices,” he said, stressing the importance of informing domestic helpers about their rights and duties.
“We conduct awareness campaigns throughout the year, where we inform domestic helpers about how to go about lodging complaints to the department,” he said, adding that the department works as per the directives of the Minister of Interior, Lt Gen Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The Domestic Helpers Dispute Department comprises four sections: The first section is dedicated to settling disputes, the second is in charge of investigations, the third handles the department’s hotline and raises awareness, while the fourth licenses domestic helpers’ agencies in Dubai.
Brigadier Khalaf Al Gaith, assistant director-general of the Follow-up of Offenders and Foreigners Department, said the department acts as a link between sponsors, recruitment officers and domestic helpers.
“We are trying to highlight some of the most recurring problems that arise between sponsors and domestic helpers,” Al Gaith said. “To do this we are building a data base which will help us analyse the most common reasons for domestic helpers wanting to leave their jobs. The data base will help us develop appropriate and efficient solutions.”
He noted that there will be a designated section to study and analyse disputes, building case studies as references. “There will also be an education sector,” he said, “which will develop better ways to educate domestic helpers on their rights. This will be carried out through radio, broadcast, visual and print media. We already have drafted a detailed plan in this regard.”
Brig Al Gaith said that the investigation section of the department is aimed at reviewing the requirements and commitments to those requirements on behalf of recruitment agencies when bringing in domestic helpers. “We are still awaiting the issuance of a domestic helpers law which will better regulate recruitment agencies,” he said. “It’s not a matter of how many such offices are operational in the emirate, rather their quality of work and their commitment to our regulations and international human rights standards.”
Capt Hussain Darwish Abbas, director of the Domestic Helpers Department, said the department has already regulated the number of recruitment offices in Dubai. “There are now 76 recruitment offices that deal with domestic helpers out of the total of 173, which bring in workers in various sectors.”
Capt Abbas said brochures and pamphlets are distributed to domestic helpers on their arrival in the emirate. “The brochures inform them of their rights, UAE laws, and provides contact information of the department in case they need to reach them,” he said, adding that the domestic helpers department accepts any kind of complaint, whether from sponsors, domestic helpers or recruitment agencies.
The public can complain either via ‘Amer service’ or they can show up personally at the Follow up on Illegals and Foreigners Department in Al Aweer. “They can call Amer on the toll-free number 80051111. They can also reach us directly on 04 7074878 or 04 7074889,” he said. “Alternatively, they can email us.”
Capt Abbas said that complaints were swiftly dealt with an on-site investigation, which is carried out a day or two after a complaint has been lodged. He also pointed out that some complaints were received from abroad. “In those cases, the complaint revolves around unfounded absconding allegations, which the domestic helper tries to clear to return to the country.”
A number of consulate officials extended their thanks to the department, saying it has helped find solutions to disputes that would otherwise take a much longer time to resolve.
Newton Lunyagi Odinga, Consul of the Kenyan Consulate General in Dubai, said disputes often arise between sponsors and domestic helpers. Most recent was the case of a Kenyan woman who after spending some months in the country, felt homesick and yearned to go home. Her sponsor, who had just paid all the visa and employment charges, was less than keen to allow her to return.
“The Domestic Helpers Dispute Department intervened and the matter was handled very quickly,” he said. “The department has consolidated a whole new level of cooperation between government bodies, recruitment offices and domestic helpers. Such matters are now handled with ease and ends on a good note between all parties.”
Suaib Rizal, PRO at the Consulate General of Indonesia in Dubai, also said the department has helped resolve similar disputes. “Many times, when people who come from a different background, arrive in the country and don’t know the culture, there’s bound to be some tension in their new workplace, whether the domestic helper or the sponsor is at fault. Such cases could go on forever, but the dispute department is helping us reach a resolution fairly quickly.”
Reaching the Domestic Helpers Dispute Department
The public can reach the department either via ‘Amer service’ on the toll-free number 80051111.
They can show up personally at the Follow up on Illegals and Foreigners Department in Al Aweer.
They can also call the department directly at 04 7074878 or 04 7074889
