Despite abuses, Saudi Arabia aims to recruit Somali Domestic Workers..

In Saudi Arabia, employers have a history of abusing foreign domestic workers lured by the promise of well-paid jobs in what former workers described as an exploitation of desperate Africans facing grim choices. Somalia Labor Minster Yusuf Mohamed Ade ’s deal with Saudi Arabia to send Somali girls for domestic work, despite knowing the abuse they endure…

New cases of abuses against Somali domestic workers in Saudi Arabia are still being reported, with employers often beat, and deny food and payments of Somali maids. In some cases male employers rape them in addition to reports of Somali maids who had their eyes gouged out by their employers.

Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda have recently banned their citizens from seeking jobs in Saudi Arabia in a bid to end the exploitation, making domestic workers from Somalia the only alternative left for Saudi employers after most of African and Asians rejected their recruitment request.

Pushing for a new mass recruitment drive, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Labor on Tuesday announced the opening of recruiting operations of domestic workers from Somalia while setting terms and conditions, Somali maids would have fulfill conditions set by the ministry as that applicants are acquire to have a certificate from the Somali Ministry of Security stating they have no previous criminal records, besides vaccination certificates against contagious diseases.

Despite calls to ban Somali domestic workers from working in the kingdom, it remains unclear whether the Saudi government which had been slammed by human rights organizations for its treatment of domestic workers, largely from Africa and Asia is in cahoots with the Gurgurte Administration over the recruitment issue.

Sending our girls to Saudi Arabia is totally wrong due to abuses by the employers, Our ladies are the symbol of our integrity; therefore I am calling for the [Somali] government not repeat that mistake of sending our ladies to Saudi Arabia before they are thrown off tall buildings or have their legs tied up like slaves.