Indonesia maid 'killed in Saudi Arabia'
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Indonesia has demanded an inquiry into reports that a maid working in Saudi Arabia was killed by her employers and her body dumped on a roadside, reports BBC.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said a team had been sent to the Saudi town of Abha to investigate reports of the murder of 36-year-old Kikim Komalasari.
It comes as officials arrived in Saudi Arabia to follow up claims of torture against a second Indonesian maid.
Sumiati Binti Salan Mustapa is recovering in hospital in Medina.
Her injuries include gashes to her face and cuts to her lips, allegedly inflicted by her employers using scissors. She was also burned with an iron and suffered internal injuries, officials say. Indonesia's president has demanded justice for the "extraordinary torture".
Indonesian media reported Thursday that the Saudi Arabian government had arrested the female employer of Sumiati, and apologised for the maid's treatment.
Several countries across the Middle East and Asia host millions of migrant domestic workers, ranging from 196,000 in Singapore to approximately 1.5 million in Saudi Arabia.
Whether or not they are well treated is a matter of luck rather than legislation.
Employers have huge control over them and the workers have few rights. Most have their passports taken away.
It is hard to document their treatment as they are "hidden" in people's homes, but abuse is systemic, according to Human Rights Watch.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said a team had been sent to the Saudi town of Abha to investigate reports of the murder of 36-year-old Kikim Komalasari.
It comes as officials arrived in Saudi Arabia to follow up claims of torture against a second Indonesian maid.
Sumiati Binti Salan Mustapa is recovering in hospital in Medina.
Her injuries include gashes to her face and cuts to her lips, allegedly inflicted by her employers using scissors. She was also burned with an iron and suffered internal injuries, officials say. Indonesia's president has demanded justice for the "extraordinary torture".
Indonesian media reported Thursday that the Saudi Arabian government had arrested the female employer of Sumiati, and apologised for the maid's treatment.
Several countries across the Middle East and Asia host millions of migrant domestic workers, ranging from 196,000 in Singapore to approximately 1.5 million in Saudi Arabia.
Whether or not they are well treated is a matter of luck rather than legislation.
Employers have huge control over them and the workers have few rights. Most have their passports taken away.
It is hard to document their treatment as they are "hidden" in people's homes, but abuse is systemic, according to Human Rights Watch.