The rejection by a domestic labor office in the UAE of a request by an Indonesian housemaid led to a devastating act of revenge against a small Emirati child. The maid came to the UAE for work, but after a while, she decided she wanted to go home. Her wish was not received well by the labor agency, which forced her to move from one house to another. So the maid decided that violence will make her voice be heard.

It was a wrong decision indeed, because it led her to jail. Oppression and anger can lead to sad endings and behaviors. The maid's case is now before a court, but I feel very sorry for the abused child. The little Emirati boy will have to undergo a long period of treatment after the evil maid poured boiling water over his entire body, despite the fact that her request to go home was denied not by the family of the child, but by the agency.

The father of the child said that the maid admitted to her crime against the child. When he asked her about the reason for not telling him the truth when she was brought to him by the agency, she said she feared he would take her back to the agency and not send her home as she wanted. Sadly, her sick mind led her to commit a crime to escape her misery. But pouring hot water on a child will keep her away from home for many years, because she will not be absolved of her crime. I think she is mentally ill.

The boy's father said the maid did not even complete a full working day in his house, as the agency brought her to his home on Thursday afternoon and she committed her crime on Friday afternoon. He added that he later came to know that the maid had worked with four other families!

This crime cannot be an act of revenge against the family, but revenge against domestic labor offices, because they do not take into account the human factor and desire of workers to return to their homelands if they cannot work according to the contract signed. They are not pieces of furniture, but humans with rights and needs who can feel homesick. I know and understand that money had been spent on bringing in the maid, but moving the worker from one house to another regardless of her desire is wrong, and as usual, revenge occurs against innocent children.

The situation in Kuwait is no different than any other country in the Gulf. Such crimes are no longer strange or rare. People feel sorry for a while, but then they forget the matter and the series of abuses of children by maids continue. The boy's father demanded punishing the labor agency because it gave him a maid who did not want to work. I sympathize with the boy's family, and I am pleased that the father also called for punishing such offices, because they're lying to families, and small kids pay the price.

This maid will be in jail for many years, and the domestic agency may get in trouble, but the real victim is this unfortunate family, which will have to deal with their son for many years until recovery, and every day they will look at him and recall that painful memory.

Bringing up children is the sole responsibility of parents. The maid can help with housework, but to leave little babies in her complete control is wrong. It is common to see young women occupied with their looks and makeup, leaving their babies in the arms and care of maids. I see this in the malls in Kuwait and it saddens me, because some young women ignore the fact that babies are not for pictures but for love, and only parents, especially the mother, can offer this emotion.

By Muna Al-Fuzai

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