Group slams draft Saudi law

SAUDI Arabia’s new draft law to protect domestic workers from abusive working conditions and unpaid wages “falls short” of international standards, Human Rights Watch said.

The Saudi Shoura Council, an advisory body that makes recommendations to the king, passed a law requiring employers to give domestic workers at least nine hours of rest a day and suitable housing, the New York-based human rights group said late Saturday. The Cabinet must enact the law.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, relies on foreign workers to drive taxis, work on construction sites, clean buildings and wait on tables.

There are 1.5 million women from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and other countries working with little legal protection from employers, according to the human rights group.

“The bill contains vague provisions that would leave workers open to abuse, including the duty to obey employers’ orders and a prohibition against leaving the place of employment without a legitimate reason,”h the group said.

“Excessive workloads and unpaid wages, for periods ranging from a few months to 10 years, are among the most common complaints.”

Saudi Arabia is a Sunni Muslim-majority country, where people are required to pray five times a day, and women, who must wear an abaya, or black cloak covering the body entirely, can’t drive and travel without the company of a male relative. With women prohibited from working in public, there is a demand for foreign women to work as maids.

“This bill is a step forward, but Saudi Arabia needs to strengthen the protections and make sure they are enforced,” Nisha Varia, deputy director of the Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch, said in the statement.

“Comprehensive reforms in immigration policies and police response to violence against domestic workers are also necessary.” –Glen Carey, Bloomberg