Maid ‘held hostage’ for 14 years in Saudi Arabia

Story of Sri Lankan maid comes amid bitter row between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia over execution of Indonesian maid Authorities in Saudi Arabia have discovered a Sri Lankan maid who had been kept against her will without pay for nearly 14 years by her local employers, in the latest case of abuse of domestic workers in the kingdom. The discovery comes amid a bitter diplomatic row between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia following the execution of an Indonesian maid at the weekend. The Saudi authorities are sensitive to the global reaction to the execution and may hope the apparent rescue of the Sri Lankan maid helps to deflect some of the negative headlines. According to local news reports, the 45-year-old was found in the south-western Jizan province following a tipoff from a neighbour and her employer was arrested. Family members contacted by local journalists said they had not heard from the woman for so long that they thought she was dead. “I am very happy to know that she is living and we want her back home as quickly as possible,” her husband told the Jeddah-based Arab News. The Indonesian government on Wednesday told Saudi Arabia it would allow no further workers to the country until a deal on migrant labourers’ protection was

Posted by on June 22, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.