27 September, 2006

Name and Shame???

This is what i found on today's Khaleej times..


DUBAI — For three years, a Filipina housemaid has been allegedly tortured by her employer, a Cypriot woman living in Dubai.

Apart from being hit by whatever object her employer, Maria M, could lay her hands on, she was apparently not given a square meal, her wages were not paid on time and she could hardly get any sleep because the household chores never seemed to end......

She had been living with her employers at Apartment 16 in Building 18 of the Jebel Ali Garden

Posted by Anonymous at 3:48 pm

8 comments:

secretdubai said...

I'm torn.

On one hand I thoroughly approve of vigiliantism, and would love to see some people go round and kick these bitches' door in.

On the other hand I don't trust the Kretin's accuracy not to have fucked up the numbers and actually have listed the flat of some poor innocent elderly widow.

So I'm torn. If anyone can ascertain if the address is correct, I'll strap on my jackboots and knuckledusters right away.

27 September, 2006 16:18
shansenta said...

This again highlights the gross negligiency and injustice that the unpriveleged expats have to face in this country...

Although, I'm aware that this could have happened in any country, is there any way the good social / civil laws could have saved the hapless victim?

27 September, 2006 16:28
nzm said...

SD - go to the apartment with a big bunch of flowers and ask for Maria and Fadi.

Then when they confrim who they are, hit 'em with your knuckledusters and kick 'em with your jackboots!

27 September, 2006 17:22
Anonymous said...

sigh.

27 September, 2006 17:51
Mme Cyn said...

Well, if the case is still "alleged" info identifying the employer should NOT be put in the papers. However, if the case is proven, I hope their NAMES are put in the papers! And photos.

27 September, 2006 18:10
marwan said...

Apartment 16. Building 18.
Or is that 18, 16? In the Gardens...or the Greens? Here's hoping our would be vigilantes tone their passion down enough to bring the Kretin with them.

Mind you, I know what it feels like to be on the receiving end of vigilantism: I had to convince an irate filipino and her local sponsor that my house was not used to house bachelors and/or a brothel. When folks are that fired up, you try telling them they have the wrong address.

27 September, 2006 18:17
CG said...

I just dont want these people to ruin the situation for the good people.
We have kind hearts, we employ these people, we are kind to them and they in return respect us and care for our kids, we allow them to feel comfortable in our homes. My maid cried last year when we bought her a tiny birthday cake (it was really only for the kids enjoyment)....but no-one had ever bought her a cake in her 40 years of life. I know she loves being here. If these stupid people damage this then so many people will suffer.

28 September, 2006 17:55
secretdubai said...

we employ these people

See there's the thing. You view your maid as an employee, and therefore you respect and value her as an individual human being.

Many families here view maids as property, part of the family like a pet or - as until very recently in the Gulf (check out how late they abolished slavery) - a slave.

The only way to protect domestic workers and the good people that employ them, in my opinion, is to end family sponsorship and run it through a goverment agency. Not all families can be trusted. And some domestic employees can't be trusted. If it costs Dh500 or Dh1000 more to hire a maid - money which can fund this agency - then so be it. Maids should be paid via this agency, not via the family.

Domestic workers need to be able to leave abusive families knowing that they won't be arrested/deported/have their passport confiscated/lose months and years of unpaid salary and so forth. They need the same status as employees here: to be employed by registered companies. A family is not a company, it doesn't have to be registered, nor its accounts checked (like those at Media City are) to verify it is paying the people it hires.

28 September, 2006 21:13

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