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Ramadan majlis calls to address cases of absconding maids

Speaker asks ministry to establish a competent office for directly supervising the process of bringing in domestic workers from abroad.

A Ramadan majlis organised by the General Secretariat of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior called for an effective mechanism to control the growing cases of absconding domestic workers.

Organised by the Law Respect Culture Bureau at the secretariat, the majlis also called for tracking and identifying the whereabouts of the absconding domestic workers at the earliest.

The main speaker and the host at the majlis held in Al Shalila near Al Rahbah was Nasser Obaid Al Yamahi, a local businessman.

He asked the Ministry of Interior to establish a competent office for directly supervising the process of bringing in domestic workers from abroad, and to regulate relations in order to protect the rights of the workers and employers.

“Hiring domestic help is a delicate and unavoidable issue because most families cannot do without them in light of the modern life requirements and the luxurious life in the Emirati society,” Al Yamahi pointed out.

However, he added, it is also a risky matter if the relationship between domestic workers and their employers is not properly managed and not based on the Sharia rules and laws.

The majlis further called for reducing the fees and costs of bringing in domestic workers by implementing several procedures, notably the need for workers to undergo medical tests in their home countries to determine if they are medically fit before paying their travel costs.

The participants recommended intensifying awareness programmes through mass and social media in order to educate family members about the ways to deal with domestic workers. These programmes, the participants said, should explain the rights and obligations of both parties, and would ensure a healthy relationship between them.

Al Yamahi said: “The number of domestic helps must be consistent with the real need for them. Employing more domestic workers than needed incurs unnecessary costs and has negative effects on family life. On the other hand, hiring less help than needed would burden a hired domestic worker with responsibilities and additional working hours, and may cause them to abscond.

“We are bound by our Emirati traditions to treat domestic workers fairly, regardless of their race or religion, as stipulated by the applicable laws that guarantee the rights of all individuals without exception.”

He also stressed on the importance of deciding whether the family really needs to hire a domestic worker. “Hire the number of workers you need, never hire surplus workers for the sake of impressing others with your wealth and status,” he said.

Al Yamahi expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Lt-General Shaikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, for patronising Majalis (councils) during the holy month of Ramadan across Abu Dhabi. -nissar@khaleejtimes.com