UAE: Do cases of runaway maids increase during Ramadan?

Although the number of distressed domestic workers calling for help has increased among Indians, two other labour-sending countries – the Philippines and Indonesia – have recorded a marked decline in cases in the first two weeks of Ramadan compared to previous months and years, diplomats confirmed to Khaleej Times.

“We have received distressed calls from many Indian women working in the UAE as house help,” noted the Press Wing of the Consulate General of India – Dubai (CGI-Dubai), adding: “The number of such distress cases is higher in Ramadan than in previous months. The consulate has been facilitating each request for the safe return of these ladies to their respective families.”

The Indian Consulate did not provide specific numbers, but according to social workers, there have been more than 20 distress calls in the first two weeks of Ramadan, whereas the average was only between 5 and 7 calls in other months.

Some household workers who ran away from their employers cited being overworked and having to endure longer work hours, while others said they experienced varying forms of maltreatment, such as verbal and physical abuse.

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Marked decline

However, two other labour-sending countries – The Philippines and Indonesia – noted a marked decline in the number of runaway maids this year, unlike previous years. Close coordination with the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (Mohre) has contributed to this positive development, noted the Philippine Labour Attaché.

Philippine labour attaché John Rio Aceveda Bautista also said, “It is still early to tell if there is a significant increase in complaints from (Filipino) domestic workers being overworked during Ramadan because we are only midway in the holy month.”

“However, if we use as an indicator the number of wards at our shelter (halfway house) who ran away from their employers, we currently have below 15, and this will decline further as four of them will be repatriated,” he added.

The situation described by Bautista at the Philippine Migrant Workers Office (MWO) in Dubai (formerly Philippine Overseas Labour Office or Polo) is very different from the condition more than five years ago when more than 110 Filipina maids were sheltered at one time during Ramadan at the centre – almost double than the average of 60 wards in other months.

“Most of the women were just new in Dubai - almost all came as visitors and looked for employment here. The majority just arrived one month ago; some stayed with their employers for about five days and ran away," former Philippine labour attaché Felicitas Bay, who is now assistant secretary at the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), previously told Khaleej Times.

Significant improvement

Working conditions have significantly improved since then, underscored Bautista, who noted: “The memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Philippines and UAE on the resumption of deployment of domestic workers and the continued close coordination with Mohre by the Philippine Consulate and MWO resulted positively to the decline of wards in our shelter and run away cases during Ramadan.”

Bautista also praised the recent order by the UAE government to cover all private sector employees and domestic workers under the mandatory health insurance scheme. Beginning next year, employers will be required to pay for the health coverage of their registered workers while issuing or renewing their residency permits.

“This is a very welcome development towards securing the welfare and best possible term of conditions for the workers, especially since it will cover all workers irrespective of their emirates. This also reiterates the provision on our Standard Employment Contract requiring employers to provide free medical and dental insurance for domestic workers.

“We support the UAE government’s effort to strengthen the social security coverage of workers, including our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs),” he added.

Continue to monitor

For his part, Indonesian Consul General K. Candra Negara said they have registered only one case of distressed Indonesian domestic workers in the first 15 days of Ramadan. “But it is also too early to tell if cases will increase or decrease this year,” he added, noting they will continue to monitor the situation.

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