If you ask a Filipino domestic worker in Saudi Arabia about his or her rights, the answer you will get will either be a deep silence or a violent reaction. Well, how can we blame them? Out of the need for his family to survive in Philippines, Filipino domestic workers set aside hardships and inhumane treatments from their employers. Because of this, it’s either they will be stunned to silence or they will be forced to extreme anger.

Domestic helpers in KSA are usually denied of their rights as workers. They have no weekly day offs, no work hour limits and no overtime pay. Based on the 2008 Human Rights Watch report, domestic helpers in Saudi Arabia work 18 hours per day, 7 days a week and have little power to collect owed ages in labor disputes. There are even issues of unpaid wages ranging from few months to several years.

Aside from these sadistic treatments, domestic workers were restricted to their workplaces, sometimes locked in and forbidden to leave.

The good news now is that a bill was passed which is intended to improve the condition of domestic workers in the kingdom. Included in the bill is that employers should give domestic workers at least 9 hours of rest everyday, rest breaks and suitable accommodation.

However, the bill which was passed by the Shura Council contains vague provisions that would make domestic workers still vulnerable to abuse. The HRW cited the provision that would require a worker to obey the employers’ orders and prohibit him or her from leaving the place of employment without a legitimate reason.

Another burden for domestic workers in Saudi Arabia, as cited by HRW, is the restrictive visa sponsorship (kafala) system where a worker’s visa and legal status is tied to her employer. The sponsor bears responsibility for the worker’s recruitment fees, completion of medical exams, and possession of an iqama, or national identity card. The sponsor or employer therefore controls the worker if he or she can transfer employment or get an exit visa to leave the country. Some employers take advantage of this kafala system by forcing domestic workers to continue working against their will or even forbid them from going home to their countries of origin.

The HRW’s Women Rights Division is hoping that the king and the Cabinet will carefully review the bill and “remove the flawed provisions and make sure that the final law can stand up to international scrutiny.”

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