Maids, Slaves, and Prisoners: To be employed in a Saudi home

National Review, Feb 24, 2003 by Joel Mowbray

News of this abuse occasionally erupts in the American press-usually when Saudis bring it to the West. Last summer, King Fahd's niece, Buniah al-Saud, pled guilty to a single misdemeanor charge for pushing her Indonesian maid down a flight of stairs in her Orlando home. The princess escaped with a slap on the wrist because the victim, who had gone back to Indonesia to attend her mother's funeral, was denied a visa by the State Department to return as a witness in the trial. What did not receive much press attention, however, was the second count of the indictment: involuntary servitude. That charge was dropped as part of the plea bargain.

Three members of the Saudi royal family, including a sister of King Fahd, were caught up in a scandal five years ago in London for their treatment of three Filipina women. The women sued the Saudi royals, alleging that they had been physically abused, starved, and held against their will in the Saudis' mansion in London. The Filipinas said they were often locked in the attic, were fed mere scraps of food, and were denied medical attention when they became gravely ill.

Stories like this one-and like that of "Saida," above-are far too common among Saudis in the U.S. Although every individual situation has its unique aspects, most situations involving domestics working for Saudis have seven hallmarks: confiscation of passports, contract terms unilaterally changed, overlong working hours, denial of medical attention, verbal and often physical abuse, a prison-like atmosphere, and-in the cases of the women able to speak with NR-dramatic escapes. All of the women with whom we spoke worked in the U.S., although some first worked inside Saudi Arabia; the women who worked in both countries said their conditions did not improve once in the U.S. Three of the stories are particularly compelling-and sadly representative. (Because the women fear reprisal from politically connected Saudis, NR is respecting their wish to be identified by aliases.)

When she stepped off the airplane in Saudi Arabia, the very first thing Maryam, a Filipina Muslim, did was surrender her passport to her new employers. Even before she reached their residence, she was told that she was going to receive only $150 of the $600 per month agreed to in the contract. Work at the mansion-her employer was a dignitary who often had famous guests, including Muhammad Ali-lasted from dawn until late in the evening, with the only "time off" a brief period each Sunday. If she finished work ahead of schedule, she was "lent" to the employers' friends and relatives. Although she was not physically or sexually abused-she believes she was spared because she is a Muslim- Maryam was repeatedly scolded and denied the ability to contact her family back in the Philippines. After two years-when the contract had officially expired-Maryam wanted to return home, but because of the dramatically reduced pay, she didn't have the money to do so. She demanded that the employers pay for her travel back-something they were contractually obligated to do-but the only option they gave her was to go to with their son's family to the U.S. She accepted, believing that working in America would be better. It wasn't.