http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article72184.ece
Filipino maids complain of abuse, wage delay By RODOLFO ESTIMO JR. | ARAB NEWS Published: Jun 24, 2010 00:32 Updated: Jun 24, 2010 00:32 JEDDAH: Three maids from Jeddah have sought the assistance of the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh after claiming that the Syrian wife of their Palestinian sponsor has abused them repeatedly. They also claim that the sponsor has not paid five months of salary at SR1,000 a month, which suspended their ability to remit money home. The women are seeking help either in getting a more compassionate sponsor or in leaving Saudi Arabia. Philippine Ambassador Antonio P. Villamor told Arab News that he has referred the case to the consulate in Jeddah. "We could not stand anymore the abuse we're suffering, aside from the fact that our salaries are delayed," one of the maids told Arab News. The three maids are currently staying at their sponsor's house in Jeddah's Al-Naeem district. One of the maids told Arab News the sponsor's wife physically abused her on June 13. "She ordered the three of us to do different things," said the maid. "At the time, I was cooking food and she called my name. Then she asked me if I heard her. I said, 'Yes but I have to finish cooking first.' This made her angry and first she hit me on the breast and slapped me in the face." Another of the women said the sponsor's wife threatened to scald her with hot water during a five-month vacation in Lebanon with six of the woman's seven children. "After that she continued to badmouth me while I was already shaking with mixed feelings of fear and anger," she said. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
