15-year jail terms for maid traffickers

RIYADH: The labor and interior ministries have again warned that those trafficking in housemaids will be imprisoned for a maximum of 15 years or SR1 million or both, according to a local media report on Monday.
The ministries stated that violators would be named and shamed, which means having their identities made public on all media platforms in the country, including their punishment.
All those involved in the illegal hiring of housemaids would be penalized including brokers and those knowingly employing them. They said that all recruitment must be made through the Musaned website.
The Labor Ministry said earlier this year that there would be strict monitoring of all agreements signed with countries sending workers to the Kingdom. All recruiters would have to register on the Musaned site, which is linked to countries abroad, including the Kingdom’s embassies.
It also warned that there would be continuous and unannounced raids on offices involved in recruiting workers, and that citizens and expatriates should not deal with unauthorized offices. Members of the public can check whether an operator is licensed by logging on to the Musaned website.
If they encounter any problems, they can file complaints on musaned.gov.sa, the customer service line 19911, or through the branches of the labor ministry across the country. All complaints would be investigated and violators held accountable, the ministry stated.