15 housemaids, agent arrested

RIYADH: A group of 15 housemaids who were to be employed illegally during Ramadan and the agent involved in the racket were arrested from a villa here recently.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Development took the action with the help of the police following a tip-off.
Some brokers were reportedly planning to employ the arrested women as housemaids in Saudi homes, where the workload increases considerably during the holy month, which is fast approaching.
In a joint statement with the public security authorities, the ministry has warned of stringent action against those involved in trading in the services of runaway maids.
Violations will amount to human trafficking and the perpetrators will get up to 15-year jail term or SR1 million fine or both.
The warning was issued as a sequel to advertisements appearing in various media outlets, especially in social media, offering the services of illegal domestic workers.
In the Kingdom, smuggling of domestic workers with the intention of exploitation or intimidation is treated as human trafficking.
A diplomat from an Asian embassy has said that this is the season that some disgruntled housemaids run away from their workplaces for better perks. Salaries paid by the new sponsors are invariably higher than the wages given by their official employers.
The Saudi sponsors pay recruitment charges ranging from SR 15,000 and 25,000 to recruit a maid from Asian countries.
Many Saudi families have resorted to hiring illegal housemaids, since the legal recruitment of domestic workers has become more challenging. Some expatiate women who have entered the Kingdom illegally offer their services to families, creating a flourishing black market for this kind of service.