This week, local newspapers published a sad story about the death of an Ethiopian maid in the house of her sponsor. When police checked the body, they found some bruises and beat marks on the deceased’s body, so the case was transferred to forensics. It did not take much time to reveal the secret of the maid’s death.
Detectives found she had been beaten, allegedly by her female employer and recorded a case of a beating leading to death against the woman. Moreover, the police investigation found the victim had been repeatedly assaulted by the woman of the house, as her body had bruises and bloodstains.
When the suspect was interrogated, she admitted beating the maid to discipline her because she refused to do housework, and locked her up in a room out of fear of someone discovering the beatings. Investigations are ongoing in preparation for referral to the public prosecution and legal action.
I know that some may think that such crimes have become common, but I personally see that any disagreement leading to the death of one of the parties is not normal or acceptable - whether the domestic helper or the sponsor - because the connection between the two is of a work relationship. So, if one party is not satisfied with the workplace or the performance of the other, they should come to an agreement to leave the job. There is no need for this bloody violence, which will lead one side to the grave and the other to prison, both of which is a loss.
I am horrified by the fact that the maid, who came from afar to save a little money for her family, found herself in a place where she was abused and mistreated. Instead of asking help from her embassy to defend her and restore her rights as per the law and in a peaceful way, she became a victim of torture and abuse, until she was beaten to death to return to her country and her family as a corpse. Her future was terminated before it began.
I would like to apologize to the family of the domestic helper for what happened to her in my country and to affirm that Kuwait, like any other country in the world, has good and evil. There are sponsors whose conscience has died, but there still are good and generous sponsors. Sometimes bad luck may lead a stranger to suffering, but this does not mean that all sponsors are bad.
I am surprised by the bad behavior of some sponsors, who insist on using violence against poor helpers. Why not send them back? Why abuse? Do they think that they own the poor worker, so they can torture them? I am opposed to fully relying on domestic helpers, as it creates dependency and laziness, and as helpers mostly comes from a different environment and culture, this may lead to difficulties.
I hope the Ethiopian Embassy in Kuwait follows up the investigations with the interior ministry and not give up the rights of the deceased, whether her salary or anything else. This is less than what is needed to support her poor family. We also affirm that Kuwait is a state of law and legal measures will not be disregarded.
By Muna Al-Fuzai
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