Amnesty Int. releases report about the abuse of Kenyan domestic workers in Saudi Arabia

[get these nets]

05/14/25

Saudi Arabia: Migrant domestic workers face severe exploitation, racism and exclusion from labour protections​

Kenyan women hired as domestic workers in Saudi Arabia endure gruelling, abusive and discriminatory working conditions, which often amount to forced labour and human trafficking, Amnesty International said in a new report. The report highlights how employers subjected the women to extreme exploitation in private homes, often fuelled by racism, and how domestic workers continue to be excluded from Saudi Arabia’s labour law and other limited reforms.

Locked in, left out: the hidden lives of Kenyan domestic workers in Saudi Arabia, documents the experience of more than 70 women who previously worked in Saudi Arabia. Often deceived by recruiters in Kenya about the nature of their jobs, once in Saudi Arabia they were made to work under brutal conditions, regularly toiling for more than16 hours, being denied days off and prevented from ever leaving the house. The women also faced awful living conditions and inhumane treatment including sexual, verbal and physical assault. Employers typically confiscated their passports and phones and sometimes withheld their wages.

“These women travelled to Saudi Arabia in search of work to support their families but instead endured unspeakable abuse in the homes of their employers,” said Irungu Houghton, Executive Director of Amnesty International Kenya. “The Kenyan government is actively encouraging labour migration, and the Saudi Arabian authorities claim that they have introduced labour rights reforms, yet behind closed doors domestic workers continue to face shocking levels of racism, abuse and exploitation.”


“The Saudi and Kenyan authorities must listen to these women; whose labour sustains families and contributes significantly to the economic development of both countries. The Saudi authorities should urgently grant domestic workers equal protection under the labour law, introduce an effective inspection system to tackle widespread abuses in private homes, and fully dismantle the Kafala sponsorship system that binds foreign workers to employers, fosters exploitation and perpetuates systemic racism.”

Neither the Saudi nor the Kenyan authorities responded to Amnesty’s request for comment or information.

 

[Deus]

Per the NY Times:
"At least 274 Kenyan workers, mostly women, have died in Saudi Arabia in the past five years — an extraordinary figure for a young work force doing jobs that, in most countries, are considered extremely safe. At least 55 Kenyan workers died last year, twice as many as the previous year."

"The Philippines deal in 2012, for example, guaranteed a $400 monthly minimum wage, access to bank accounts and a promise that workers’ passports would not be confiscated.

Kenya initially demanded similar wages, according to a government report, but when Saudi Arabia balked, Kenya agreed to a deal in 2015 with no minimum wage at all."

It's so horrible. Saudis on demon time as they pay east africans the worst and rape them and when they get pregnant, just send them back.

Middle East is a real hellhole.