A bunch of 39 Cambodian girls who have been exploited as maids in Saudi Arabia and rescued by the Cambodian Embassy are asking the Saudi authorities to assist them return house as a result of the embassy retains delaying their return, they informed Radio Free Asia.
The ladies had come to Saudi Arabia to work as maids, however as soon as they landed they have been subjected to bodily abuse within the households the place they labored, together with being denied meals and sleep. Some stated they’d not been paid, or have been informed they must work for for much longer than their contracts acknowledged.
In mid-April, dozens of girls have been rescued from their work settings by Cambodian Embassy employees.
Ambassador Uk Sarun stated that 16 of the ladies had been despatched house in late April, and Cambodian and Saudi officers claimed they have been buying tickets for the remaining girls. However thus far they’ve remained in Saudi Arabia.
Final week, two weeks after they have been rescued, the ladies demanded that they be despatched house as a result of the embassy was not offering them satisfactory meals, and their well being was deteriorating.
And now, with little obvious signal of their repatriation, they’re asking the Saudi authorities to intervene.
Assurances
The ladies say a excessive rating Saudi labor official will meet with them quickly, and that they’d already met with Ministry of Labor employees to clarify their scenario and the way they have been mistreated.
The labor ministry officers assured them that they’d work on their behalf to resolve their mistreatment and guarantee they’d be get any unpaid wages, a consultant of the employees informed RFA Khmer on situation of anonymity for security causes.
“The Arab officers informed us to maintain passports to ourselves and be ready to speak to the corporate to demand our wage and to get our mistreatment solved,” she stated.
“Then, they’ll stamp the visas so we are able to return to Cambodia,” she stated. “They stated they’ll defend the Cambodian folks to have the ability to return to Cambodia.”
In addition they suggested her to not belief “Arabian corporations” as a result of they’re girls, she stated, implying that some in Saudi Arabia suppose staff’ rights solely apply to males.
Relating to the delay of their repatriation, the employees declare that it’s as a result of their Cambodian employer, Fatina Manpower Co., offered them to a associate firm in Saudi Arabia at a excessive worth, and is hoping that maids will surrender and full their contracts.
One of many rescued staff, Ye Thoeun, informed RFA that she had labored for greater than 20 days in April however she had not been paid.
She stated she had solely signed on to a three-month contract, however the Saudi firm stated she wanted to work for longer, presumably as much as two years.
When she fell ailing, she stated her boss informed her to remain up in her room till she received higher, and that she wouldn’t be paid for the times she wasn’t working.
“He spoke in Arabic, saying that the worth he paid for me may be very excessive, due to this fact, he can’t ship me again to Cambodia,” she stated. “However, he stated I can go if I pay him US$1,500.”
She stated that if she had that form of cash, she would have purchased out her personal contract and returned house solely months after she arrived.
“Now, I simply maintain crying with out hope as a result of there isn’t any answer for me, I don’t know what to do,” she stated.
RFA was not capable of attain the Cambodian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ouk Sarun or Cambodian Labor Ministry spokesman Kata On for remark.
Debt entice
Lots of the staff stranded in Saudi Arabia are trapped by their money owed.
One of many laborers, Chim Saran, stated she couldn’t repay the financial institution as a result of her employer had not paid her.
“We got here from afar anticipating to get work to get cash to ship to the households so we are able to repay our money owed,” she stated.
“However since we received right here we now have confronted many issues, the employers mistreat us in each method,” she stated. “They don’t pay us salaries or give us satisfactory meals, and owners confine us and if we don’t work for them, they threaten us.”
In keeping with Cambodia’s Ministry of Labor, 133 feminine staff got here to work in Saudi Arabia. The ministry acknowledges that a few of these staff have been overworked and are uncovered to well being issues and an absence of freedom.
Nonetheless, human rights officers and staff are nonetheless urging the Ministry of Labor and different stakeholders to intervene to seek out different teams of staff who’ve been exploited by corporations and employers to ship them again to Cambodia.
Translated by Sum Sok Ry. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster.