Jeddah consul reminds Pinay domestics: Minimum age 23

The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah yesterday reminded Filipino household service worker applicants that the minimum age requirement for domestic helpers in Saudi Arabia is 23 years old.

“Recruitment and deployment of minors is a grave violation of Philippine and Saudi laws, punishable by cancellation of deployment licenses as well as fines not exceeding a million pesos,” Philippine Consul General Ezzedin Tago said.

Tago said a 16-year-old Filipina maid in Jeddah was turned over to the consulate by her employers after discovering that she was a minor.

The Filipina used a falsified birth certificate to apply for a passport. Aided and abetted by criminal elements, her papers was processed and she was deployed in Taif as a domestic helper.

The consulate coordinated with the Filipina’s employer for the issuance of her exit visa and she was repatriated to the Philippines after a week.

“We have recommended the blacklisting and filing of appropriate civil and criminal charges against her recruiter and placement agency,” Tago said.

Earlier, 57 distressed Filipinos were repatriated from Jeddah. Of this figure, eight were minors.

The mass repatriation was a result of series of representations of Philippine officials with relevant Saudi authorities to facilitate the early repatriation of the Filipinos, Tago said.

Saudi Arabia is the top destination of Filipino workers in the Middle East with a least 1 million mostly employed in the household service and construction sectors. –Michaela P. del Callar, Daily Tribune