JEDDAH, 28 September 2004 — Recruitment agencies have denounced the Indonesian government’s latest proposal to increase the fee for domestic servants heading to Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Gulf. “If it becomes more expensive to recruit an Indonesian maid or domestic help then we’ll have to explore other countries to meet our growing requirement,” a spokesman for a prominent recruitment agency said yesterday.

“Unless the Indonesian government clarifies its stand on this, an air of uncertainty will continue to prevail among recruitment agencies,” Abdul Rahman Bakhidry said.

Confusion prevails among the agencies employing and recruiting domestic servants in the Kingdom since the publication of a report in Okaz newspaper on Sunday, which said quoting official sources in the Eastern Province that the Indonesian government has communicated them its decision to increase the fee for all Gulf-bound domestics from $100 to $150 per head effective from Oct. 1.

“There is no justification for the increase,” said Khaled Al-Ghamdy, another recruitment agency’s spokesman. “If the report is correct then it amounts to the Indonesian authorities trying to cash in on the huge requirement of domestic servants in the Kingdom and elsewhere in the Gulf,” he added.

“We’re not aware of any move to increase the charges for domestic servants. The report has surprised us and we’ve taken it up with the appropriate authorities in our country,” the press attaché at the Consulate General of Indonesia said.

At present 70 percent of domestic servants in the Kingdom are from Indonesia. They are estimated to have crossed the 700,000 mark. A majority of them are maids.

Official and consulate sources say that orientation courses have been introduced in Indonesia for potential domestic servants before they head to the Gulf. Courses include training in the basic Arabic language, as well as Arab lifestyle, culture and food habits. While local agencies say that the introduction of such courses has delayed the arrival of domestics from two-three weeks to a month or two, employers fear that there would be longer delays from Oct. 1 with the introduction of the increased fee. “Potential candidates will find it difficult to comply with the increased fee and so there may be further delay on this account,” Abdul Rahman Hafiz, a local employer, said. “The steep increase will hike the recruitment charges from SR3,100 to SR3,500 which Saudi-bound domestic servants can ill-afford,” he added.

Meanwhile, more than 500 Indonesian housemaids are awaiting deportation from Saudi Arabia, while Indonesian Minister of Industry and Trade Rini Soewandi is visiting the Kingdom with an agenda to boost relations between Riyadh and Jakarta. Soewandi, who held wide-ranging talks with Riyadh Governor Prince Salman and Finance Minister Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf here yesterday, will also visit Jeddah together with some 80 Indonesian officials and businessmen.

“In fact, more than 1,000 cases of Indonesian maids have been solved by the Indonesian Embassy this year alone,” said M. Sugiarto, labor officer at the embassy.

Speaking to Arab News, Sugiarto also said a recommendation has been made to the Saudi government to provide mandatory insurance cover to all female workers in a move to safeguard their rights and interests. He said that Jakarata’s plan to set up advocacy teams or support groups for housemaids in Saudi Arabia is in its final stage.

“Initially, Indonesia will set up some nine advocacy teams in different cities and towns of the Kingdom to safeguard the interests of its workers and monitor cases of harassment. These teams will be entrusted with the responsibility to collect information about the Indonesian workers and defend them within the framework of local laws and regulatory provisions of the host country,” said Sugiarto. The move is significant keeping in view the growing number of cases of abuse and maltreatment reported in the past.

Of late, these cases were strongly criticized by many Indonesian government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). They even called for terminating the export of female migrant workers to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Malaysia.

Six Indonesian housemaids committed suicide this year, prompting calls for more protection and help. The Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh has been receiving nearly 10 complaints every day from maids, while the consulate in Jeddah has been handling some five to seven complaints daily.

The total number of workers mainly maids, repatriated back to Indonesia, has increased from 3,198 in 2002 to 3,508 in 2003. These workers were sent to Indonesia after their cases were amicably settled by the embassy with the help of employers and officials.