Maid abusers to be named and shamed

The Labor Ministry will publish a blacklist of employers and recruitment offices accused of abuses in dealing with domestic workers. The blacklisted names will be published on Musaned, the government website about licensed recruitment offices.
The move is aimed at protecting domestics’ rights and eliminating the malpractice by recruitment agencies and citizens alike, according to a media report.
Majed bin Anzan, director of business development and sales at Alam Company, said this step would prevent recruitment agencies and citizens from abusing household workers. The Labor Ministry will introduce the blacklist to the new version of Musaned, currently under development.
“The blacklist will feature the names of citizens who delayed maids’ pay, withheld their passports or violated their rights,” he said during a workshop on domestic labor visas.
“It is unacceptable to allow some citizens who abuse domestics to recruit new ones without punishment,” he said. “This practice against workers harms the Kingdom’s reputation in labor-exporting countries and affects the future of the whole recruitment process.”
Yahya Al-Maqbool, head of the recruitment committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said Musaned would streamline the recruitment market and resolve all obstacles in the recruitment process. “Domestics must be protected from mistreatment by some employers.”