Sri Lanakan Women Suffering Domestic Abuse Trapped in Saudi Arabia
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October 4, 2011 TheFreshOutlook  |
Suffering from domestic abuse, hundreds of Sri Lankan women who are trapped in Saudi Arabia are classified as illegal immigrants.
Sri Lankan domestic workers are trapped in a migrant camp in Saudi Arabia after fleeing the homes of their employers.
It is thought that the women were originally trying to escape from the homes of domestic abuse from their employers and are now classified as illegal immigrants under the Saudi law.
One of the women affected, Thangavelu Sarojini, claims she was tortured by her employer.
Speaking from the detention camp to the BBC whilst they were investigating, she said: “I still have wounds and scars in my hands, neck, legs. They beat me, pinched me and burnt me.”
The women in the Olaya detention camp, who claim they were abused either physically, sexually or mentally, cannot leave the camp under the Saudi law because their employers are their legal sponsors for their work permits.
These women are among hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankan women who travel to the Middle East to escape from their homes.
Some women have experienced abuse ranging from beatings and burnings, to being forced to work without any pay and not being allowed to have any contact with their families, which could continue for years.
Kusuma Nandani, who hasn’t returned to Sri Lanka since 1993, says she was not paid any wages for at least 15 years.
She also said that she suffered from stress and depression because her employers refused her contact with her husband, son and daughter.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) have called for these women to be included in local labour laws in order to protect them more.
It has been reported that there has been no move by the Sri Lankan authorities to help the women in the detention camp return home, as well as those who are staying in an embassy hostel.
In an open letter to the governments of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, HRW urged them to “ensure a timely and comprehensive response” to those who allege abuse and to put in place “systemic reforms to prevent such abuses in future”.
The letter also urged Saudi Arabia to “prosecute alleged perpetrators, allow victims to return to their home countries before the trial and seek both criminal penalties and financial compensation”.
HRW also wants to end the Kafala system, which requires employers’ permission to send people back to their home countires.
By Rebekah Bickerton
[Image Courtesy of heenpella]
