If you belong to the Philippines or India or South African Countries like Kenya, Ethiopia then you must be aware of so-called overseas foreign work opportunities for women. The majority of women apply for a domestic helper that includes cleaning, cooking, and child caring. They apply for a specific job but on the ground level, they are forced to work as housemaids. Their challenges keep on increasing and they end up facing slavery, rape, abuse, and mental harassment.
Read the article completely, you will get to know real stories and cases. The key points are: How the employers treat a housemaid, harassment, real case studies, challenges, and solutions.
Overseas Foreign Domestic Women Helpers Inside Story
Kenya, India, Philippines, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Lebanon are still undeveloped or developing countries worldwide. They still have a generation of women who are uneducated and not well-skilled.
Noone particularly wants to be a housemaid, but the unfavorable conditions force women to go for it. So, they have no other options than choosing blue-collar jobs like Cleaning, Cooking, Child caring or babysitting, and so on.
Since they belong to underdeveloping countries, they are offered a bare minimum salary to survive & support their families. Meanwhile, the COVID pandemic also forced many workers to lose their jobs. Therefore they choose to work abroad via various agents.
Well working as a housemaid is considered a good standard job in Western Countries. What makes the middle east most attractive for these women to apply for jobs?
Why do women choose the Middle East to work as housemaids?
A direct answer is a good salary and an easy application process. In the above-mentioned countries, there are many middle east based recruitment agencies that hire domestic helpers. Most job categories are Cleaning, Cooking, and Babysitting, as it is in high demand in Arab Countries like UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon, and Jordan.
Moreover, they are also attracted to good working hours, lifestyle, and accommodation. Many of the women workers still apply for middle east counties even though knowing the fact of violence and abuse. It is because in that very situation they prefer to earn money anyhow to survive their family and come out of poverty.
What are the challenges faced by a Housemaid?
Well when it comes to the middle east, they never had such respect for foreign workers. Here are some of the facts collected from the domestic worker’s interview. These are applicable to both men and women.
- You are forced to call the employer with certain respectful adjectives.
- Your phone and passport are forcefully kept under the employer.
- It is not allowed to wear fancy clothes or ornaments without employers’ persimmon.
- They force you to learn Arabic or whatever native language.
- If you did a silly mistake, the employers beat you badly.
- After all the hard work eventually, you beg for your salary.
These are some common insights collected from people’s interviews. In some cases, these challenges are harsher and people’s lives are hijacked. Many are badly abused, tend to run away, or are killed by their employers.
What is the dark reality of a housemaid in Arab Countries?
As soon they arrive, they come to know the fact that fraud is happed by their agency and now fallen into a trap. If you applied for X work, at the ground level you are forced to do something else or all the work of the house.
Soon the employer forces them to submit their passport and in many cases, they also confiscate their mobile phones. Day by day the situation worsens, and the employer start treating them as an object for torcher, fun, pleasure, and entertainment.
The harsh truth of middle east families is, that they never consider a housemaid a human being, they treat them as animals. If the housemaid complains, many employers come up with violence, abuse, and many levels of misbehavior and torcher.
Many domestic helpers or housemaids are forced to make physical relationships with the employer & their family members. Over the years, there have been many cases of rape, pregnancy, and murders coming up, but they are grounded because of powerful employers.
This is the dark story of every 4th housemaid working in UAE, Saudi, Kuwait, Jordan, etc. Thousands of domestic helpers are suffering from depression & abuse. Even if they run away with the help of their respective embassies but their trauma remains for a lifetime. They lose hard-earned salaries, respect in society & their own family.
Safety Measure for Dometic Helper Must Take in the Middle East
A whole lot of torcher, drama, and abuse can be avoided if you choose a safer country to work in. Even if you are working in the middle east, keep in touch with your family and agency. Also, try making good bonding with co-workers. If the employer creates any problem then report to the respective embassy based in the middle east.
Never get too much involved or attaches to the employer and their families, it may cost your life.
Precaution is better than cure.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, the government policies in the middle east are not helpful for overseas foreign workers. Still, there are thousands of workers who are trapped and being tortured but no one is there to help them out. The employers are rich and powerful, they make domestic workers dance on their steps and hijack a big phase of their lives.
We hardly recommend you, either learn some good skills and work in the same country or apply to other countries in the west.
Disclaimer
Our aim is to spread awareness and unfold the untold stories of the unfair abuse that happens to domestic workers in the middle east. Still, there are many employers who treat their workers well, but the ratio is very less as compared to abusive employers.
Share the story with your friends and family. If you had also suffered such abuse in any part of the world, we are here to raise your voice and share the pain. We will wait for your comments.