A third eye to be in the house with CCTV cameras

Several residents have installed CCTV cameras to keep tabs on maids, kids

Dubai — Fearing the worst and to keep an eye on household help, many parents in the country have taken precautionary measures and installed security cameras in homes.

Khaleej Times spoke with a few parents who expressed their fears.

Rashid Al Marzouki, Emirati, said he has installed CCTV cameras in his house to keep an eye on the domestic helpers because he doesn’t trust them. He said what scared him most was the recent news about issues involving maids, especially those related to children and child abuse. He said that most issues relating to housemaids include spine-chilling horror stories.

“I have fixed 14 CCTV cameras in the house in a way that they surround all facilities, even one in front of the housemaids’ bedroom to monitor their movement,” he said. “Since I respect their privacy, I have not installed any camera inside their bedrooms.

“CCTV cameras have incalculable advantages, as you can identify any person at the door, movements of the people indoors, as well as video footage registration which continues for months in case something was stolen or if the house was trespassed by an intruder,” he said.

He also noted that if the maids let in their boyfriends, they can also be identified. “I am concerned about housemaids letting in strange men inside the house,” he said, adding that he had heard many such stories.

Al Marzouki also said while he is outside, he keeps in touch on the phone to know what is going on in the house.

Echoing the words of his compatriot, Abdullah Al Ahmadani, said he has installed CCTV cameras in his residence as a precaution and to know what is going on while he is away.

He said that surveillance cameras have many benefits. Knowing what the domestic helpers are doing is the most important, as he has fixed cameras in the kitchen, children’s bedrooms, the garden, the main entrance of the villa and the majlis (living room) to know who enters the house and what the children and maids are doing.

He said the service of the CCTV cameras is good and in case he leaves the country, he will still know when the kids return home, and what they are doing. Through the cameras, he said that he would also know how the housemaid treats the kids.

He said in some places, he has camouflaged cameras in frames so that the maids would not know that they are being watched.

Emirati mothers Aisha Ismail and Muneera Al Harmoudi have also installed the third eye in their homes. With hectic work timings and not being able to keep a constant eye on their children at all times, mothers like Muneera said the cameras give them a sense of security. A mother of two small children, Muneera said: “I got them installed in the rooms of my house eight months ago. When I am at work, I can keep checking on my kids and the three maids at all times. I’ve been using it regularly and I find it very useful.”

However, both working mothers said that they’ve installed it for security reasons. Unlike Muneera, Aisha installed the cameras only at the entrance of her home to safeguard herself from thieves. Aisha is a mother of three children and lives in a five-bedroom villa in Al Qouz. “My office timings are from 7am to 1pm. I come back to feed my children.

malzarooni@khaleejtimes.com