What is “domestic help” abuse

This article "Punishment is OK, But..." can’t go without comment. Sorry. Well, not sorry in the “true” sense of the word, but, it’s THESE types of articles that make me want to just grab someone – let’s start with the author – by the throat and start shaking them. What? Are you for real? WTF is wrong with you?!? Let’s assume, for the purpose of me ripping this person’s viewpoint to shreds, that “Haya” is a woman. Sounds like a woman’s name to me.

Haya begins by saying that she respects the Ministry of Labor’s decision to ban citizens found to abuse their maids and drivers from employing domestic workers. We’re both on the same page, so far. We’re not very far down the page, but we’re on the same page. This, however, is where Haya loses me – and we’re only on the very first paragraph! Haya “just wish[es] the ministry would identify the types of abuse such workers suffer so that others can learn and realize that maids and drivers are human beings with rights as well as needs.” Haya, if the Ministry doesn’t identify “the types of abuse” for you, does this mean that you think it is probably okay to beat them with a stick? Not pay them? Force them to work to 140 hours a week? Not let them eat? Chain them up so they can’t “escape?” What, Haya, would constitute abuse in your simple little mind? And, did you not ever think that they were “human beings” to begin with? They are not animals [let’s not even go here!], but they are not robots or clones, either. Do you think that just because they are imported from another country that, unlike you, they wouldn’t have any needs? As far as “rights,” well, this is an issue that I don’t think many employers of domestic help will ever be able to rationalize, so for time and length’s sake, we’ll pass over this, too.

Haya next says that she thinks that the ministry should “support” these employers in cases where “they suffer financial loss or any other harm by the misbehavior of employees or agencies.” But of course. As if the scales of justice weren’t tilted in favor of the “employer” over the “employee” so badly, now, that they about topple over now, let’s just throw the damn “scale” over on its side and get it over with then.

She substantiates this by saying, “when a maidservant [her word, not mine] or driver runs away from a household, no one reimburses the employer for the financial losses.” Haya continues to whine about how the employer might have to give the employee a travel ticket, blah, blah, blah. And, then, says, “There are many problems associated with drivers. Sometimes the police arrest them after car accidents, which often lead to paying…” Haya, honey, if this is a concern of yours – don’t get a driver. Take a cab. The only place you need to go anyway is the mall and your husband can take you on the weekend or when he gets home from work at night. And, until someone, here, does something about the driving, your chances of getting in an accident are better than not. But, for you to be concerned about the driver getting arrested, Haya, well – this isn’t the attitude I expect from you – so far you didn’t know that these workers were human beings or that they had rights and needs – why are you worried about a driver being arrested? Ahh, of course. It will cost somebody something. Here’s an idea: Since you’ve withheld this person’s pay for the last three or four years, why don’t you use that money to pay the fine? Surely you aren’t concerned about this person languishing in jail… And let’s just for a minute, take a look at why it is that the driver got arrested to begin with. Three words: He’s a foreigner. Everybody knows that only foreigners ever get arrested – they are the only ones ever at fault! It’s never a “local’s” fault! [Forgive me for even thinking so.] We’re still only on this third paragraph, and Haya has about exasperated me! She says, “The running away of employees is a growing and serious problem.” Yes, Haya, it is. The employees are wising up just a bit and realizing that they truly are human beings with rights and needs and that you can no longer abuse them – work them to the bone – lock your food up so they can’t eat – lock them up so they can’t get to the food – and NOT pay them! Goodness gracious. Why would anyone want to flee a situation as idyllic as that? Haya thinks it would be best if “rules and regulations were put into place that punish perpetrators [she is referring to the runaway maids and drivers, here, not the employers!] of such misdeeds.

I honestly don’t know if I can continue with this or not. It is just too unbelievable to me that there has been space in the paper allocated for this article where a large advertisement for our “World’s Largest Hypermarket” could be. I do believe I would much rather know how much a kilogram of carrots costs this week than read what Haya has to say. Certainly the advertisement would be a much more judicious use of newsprint.

Haya says that “we need to protect the rights of domestic employees; especially because some people abuse them by not paying them, overworking them day and night, physically attacking them and forcing them to work in different homes in a single day to collect salaries from different sources. Some people want servants to do multi-role[s] simultaneously as nannies, cooks and maids. I imagine such people are in the minority because in general Saudis by nature are soft and kind.” [You see why I wasn’t sure I could continue?] Haya, in the first paragraph of this article you didn’t know what “abuse” was. And, here, really I’m not quite sure if she believes this is abuse or not. Her last sentence, “I imagine such people are a minority…” She is probably correct. I doubt there are too many more “people” that are abusing their domestic help any more than what is stated here. How could they? I mean, really, what else could they possibly do to them? Amazing that she believes that some of this domestic help should do multiple jobs, i.e., nannies, cooks and maids. Speaking only for me, but when I grew up this was called “my Mother.” When I had my one and only son, it was “me.” I was THE nanny, THE cook and THE maid! [And I worked a full-time job, too!] The very last sentence, where it says, “… by nature are soft and kind.” They are soft, alright. Soft, as in dim, pathetic…

“Problems with employment are increasing and solutions are not forthcoming. There is a necessity to protect different involved parties, especially the citizen who spends an average of SR7,000 to SR8,000 to recruit a domestic servant or driver, an amount that is almost double the salary of a middle class Saudi [this IS monthly salary, not yearly]. So when a maidservant runs away people suffer financially.” Haya, if your income is only SR7,000 to SR8,000 a year, you CANNOT afford domestic help! You don’t have any extra money, so why would you employ a driver to take you to the mall where you can’t afford to buy anything?!? What, then, exactly are you doing with your time while the “maidservant” is cleaning, cooking and tending to your children???

Haya “assumes the implementation of a fingerprint system has become compulsory for the safety of all. This is especially the case since many maids are forced to leave the Kingdom because of acts of crime, immorality and even jeopardizing children’s safety.” [Yes, and they join gangs and take part in sorcery, the females “have babies on the streets” and they create “smelly areas.”] Well, Haya, if these people were given a decent wage, they probably wouldn't have to resort to any crime – hell, never mind given a decent wage! How about just paying them the measly wage you promised them!?! And, at some future point, I will address some of the other aspects of crime – I touched on it ever so briefly with the “supply and demand” theory, yesterday. I am, however, convinced that if all of the husbands of these women who are home abusing “maidservants” and “drivers” weren’t so busy with the other runaway maids that are involved in “immorality,” then there wouldn’t be any immorality! [For goodness sake, you’re allowed more than one wife! And that’s not enough for you? You have to find runaway maids to serve your needs on top of several wives? {Yeah, okay, maybe not the best choice of wording there.}] As far as jeopardizing children’s safety – let’s save this one for another time, also.

“I believe that it is every citizen’s right to protect himself and his wealth, which are being wasted in the employment of such people.” Once again, Haya, and I don’t know how many times I need to explain this to you, if you didn’t have this help, you wouldn’t be “wasting” your money. And, with a salary as you earlier stated, you need to be doing everything you can to protect your wealth. Oh, wait, you are. You don’t pay the help! Well, then, how can the money be wasted? And, Haya, as to “How can an employee return to the Kingdom after being forced out because of criminal convictions, immoral behavior and child abuse?” Oh, I don’t know, let’s just venture to guess that maybe there’s a bit of a pay-off system taking place. The same pay-off system that is used when people like you, as the “employer” are NOT supposed to be able to hire other household help after you’ve been caught abusing the help you had prior. Silly me – we have to wait to have “abuse” defined for us.

“Saudi citizens must be protected from cracks in the system so they don’t continue recruiting more maids each year because the last one ran away and others rebelled after arriving only three months ago.” Haya, I can’t take it anymore! You just don’t get it. And, apparently you never will. This is like a friggin’ hamster wheel! The system is one that will continue in one big never-ending cycle until the end of time here. No sense trying to explain to some people. It is just a waste of time. There is a bit more to the article. Let me know what you think.

It is probably a very, very good thing that I am virtually locked in a gilded cage – locked in! I hate to think how I might conduct myself if ever given the opportunity to confront one of these women and use all my might to make them see the light of day.

[I get this mental picture of a woman lying face down on the ground – no, not me – with another woman pinning the woman on the ground down – that would be me – holding on to the hair of the pinned down woman’s head, slamming it back and forth, back and forth, into the pavement, muttering through clenched teeth, “how can you NOT understand this, WHAT the FUCK is wrong with YOU?!?” over and over and over again… Ahh, now that’s idyllic…]