Sri Lankan Maid Tortured By Saudi Employers- 24 Nails Embedded In Her Body
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If Saudis have such little respect for their women folk, you can imagine the total lack of respect for a foreign female who happens to be a maid. Foreign domestic workers in Middle Eastern countries are very often brutally mistreated, so much so that many desperate maids have run away, some have even been driven to commit suicide. Many have been tortured, like 49-year-old Sri Lankan LT Ariyawathi, a mother of 3, who lasted a mere 5 months in Saudi Arabia with her tyrant employers.
Now back home in Sri Lanka, the woman had to be hospitalized to have 24 nails removed from her body after they were shoved into her feet and possibly elsewhere on her body (reports differ on the location). She also had a needle inserted into her forehead. The reason? She accidentally dropped some glassware. So the 24 hot nails were inserted as punishment. X-Rays showed some of those nails to be 2 inches long.
Even though she is home, Sri Lankan authorities are working in conjunction with the Saudis to investigate and hopefully make some arrests. Somehow, I doubt that will happen, but one can only hope.
Ariyawathi had moved to Saudi Arabia this past March and was able to contact her family who with the help of Sri Lankan officials arranged for her to leave the country on August 21st.
At least 1.8 million Sri Lankans work abroad, mostly in the Middle East, mostly as maids with 70 percent female.
There have been so many complaints about work conditions abroad, that the Sri Lankan government now makes everyone register with the local authorities. In this way, if there is a problem they will have access to the Sri Lankan consulate.
There was a recent fatwa by that wacko cleric Sheikh Yusef al-Ahmad who said that only foreigners who are Muslims should be hired as maids in Saudi Arabia, which might be a good thing since perhaps the employers would treat those maids with greater kindness.
Domestic workers are human beings, they provide an invaluable service to the wealthy elite who wouldn't be caught scrubbing a floor. They deserve respect and kindness. One would think in such a religiously pious country as Saudi Arabia, people would be kinder to others. Apparently not.
Sources: Sri Lanka Guardian, Telegraph UK
