“Dying in the desert”: The unexplained deaths of African maids in Saudi
NITA BHALLA, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how families in Kenya are seeking answers over the deaths of their relatives while working in Saudi Arabia…
“So stressful”: Alone and unpaid, Lebanon’s migrant maids in grip of mental health crisis
ABBIE CHEESEMAN, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on the ongoing crisis among female migrant domestic workers in Lebanon…
Anger as Hong Kong court keeps ‘discriminatory’ live-in rule for migrant maids
Thomson Reuters Foundation A Hong Kong court’s decision to uphold a compulsory rule for migrant domestic workers to live with their employers drew criticism on Tuesday from labour rights advocates, who said it exposed foreign maids to conditions akin to modern slavery. The live-in rule for Hong Kong’s 370,000 domestic workers, mostly women from poor […]
New contract for Lebanon’s migrant maids only a first step, rights groups warn
Amman, JordanThomson Reuters Foundation Rights campaigners said the launch of a new contract for migrant domestic workers in Lebanon was a positive first step but that far deeper reform was needed to abolish the kafala sponsorship system they blame for widespread labour abuses. Caretaker Labour Minister Lamia Yammine said on Friday she had issued a […]
Eight-year-old maid’s death spurs calls for child labour reform in Pakistan
Karachi, PakistanThomson Reuters Foundation The brutal death of an eight-year-old maid has caused outrage in Pakistan, prompting the government to propose changes to legislation governing child labour. Zohra Shah was taken to a hospital in Rawalpindi, in Punjab province, on 31st May with serious injuries, and she died soon afterwards. Police have arrested the girl’s […]
A maid dodging coronavirus in a virtual world spotlights inequality in India
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation A computer game where players morph into housemaid in India who tries to dodge the new coronavirus and feed her family has opened people’s eyes to inequality, one of its creators said on Tuesday. The Survive COVID game brings to life the pandemic’s impact on poor families in India as the character tries […]
US domestic workers “hardest hit” by coronavirus without food or rent
New YorkThomson Reuters Foundation Almost three-quarters of US domestic workers have lost their jobs due to the new coronavirus, with most unable to pay rent and worried about buying food, researchers found, calling for broader government benefits for unprotected workers. Nine out of 10 domestic workers are women, and three out of four are their […]
Bangladesh’s first female Middle East ambassador hopes to help abused women workers
Dhaka, BangladeshThomson Reuters Foundation Bangladesh’s first woman ambassador in the Middle East is hoping her appointment will help female migrant workers in the region, with a mission to build a shelter at the embassy in Jordan for women labourers facing abuse or exploitation. Nahida Sobhan, 52, a career foreign service officer who has worked in […]
Return of abused Bangladeshi maids from Saudi prompts calls for government action
Thomson Reuters Foundation More than 100 Bangladeshi female workers abused or exploited in Saudi Arabia returned home last week, according to human rights activists, fuelling calls to stop sending Bangladeshi women to the Middle East to work as housemaids. Bangladeshi non-government organisation BRAC said an increasing number of women were returning from the Middle East […]