‘Throw away’ women

The death of an Indonesian domestic worker, whose body was dumped in a street, and the recent maiming of another maid, reported earlier, are now threatening to strain relations between Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population.

In both incidents, the women’s employers are suspected of alleged abuse, underscoring the precarious position of household workers, who do not enjoy the protections of Saudi labour laws.

The body of the 36-year-old Indonesian maid Kikim Komalasari was found on November 11 in a street in the southern Saudi town of Abha, a source said. According to news reports she had sustained stab wounds to her neck and other parts of her body.

Kikim’s apparent murder comes shortly after another Indonesian maid, Sumiati Binti Salan Mustapa, 23, was brought unconscious to a Medina hospital with burns and cuts all over her face on November 8, and accused females in the house where she worked of inflicting her injuries with scissors and a hot iron.

Nisha Varia, of Human Rights Watch in New York said that foreign domestic workers have few protections against physical and financial abuse: if they do complain, they often are accused of criminal activity by employers.

The Indonesian president said on Tuesday that Ms Mustapa’s ”extraordinary torture” should be investigated. “I want the law to be upheld and to see an all-out diplomatic effort,” Mr Yudhoyono said.

Here we have another case of ‘throw away’ women: let’s hope some justice is reached for them.

Read the full story in The National.