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Summary of: “In Country Serene, Maid Scandal Shows Silence at Heart of Dispute” (NYT, March 16, 2025)
Abused most vulnerable migrants in Saudi Arabia find courage back in Kenya
Kenya has seen a surge in the number of women returning after experiencing abuse and exploitation while working as housemaids in Saudi Arabia. These women are some of the most vulnerable migrants in the world, and Saudi Arabia, despite its efforts to tighten oversight of the domestic worker industry, has been criticized for failing to address the systemic abuses that they face.
In recent years, there have been widespread reports of beatings, rape, torture, and even murders of migrant women in Saudi Arabia, with some cases making international headlines. In response to these reports, Kenya, one of the largest senders of migrants to the Arab country, has taken steps to protect its nationals, revoking labor recruitment licenses for certain agencies and issuing travel warnings.
However, according to a new report by the UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls, the problem is far from resolved. The report notes that the institutional framework in Saudi Arabia is insufficient to protect the rights of domestic workers, who often find themselves in isolated and vulnerable situations. Many of the women reported to the group’s magistrates that they had been forced to work long hours, prevented from leaving the house, subjected to physical and psychological abuse, and denied their wages.
The report also highlights the challenges that migrant women face in seeking justice in the Arab Kingdom. According to the UN Working Group, domestic workers in Saudi Arabia are often subjected to “custodia legis,” which requires servants to abide by the laws of their host countries. However, this system can lead to gender-specific breaches of rights, with reports of arrests for alleged violations of cultural and religious customs.
The recent return of migrant women to Kenya underscores the need for the country’s government to take further action to protect its nationals abroad. The UN Working Group calls on Kenya to maintain the suspension of deals with Saudi labor recruitment agencies and to extend the ongoing amnesty to allow all Kenyan nationals to return home safely. The report also urges Saudi Arabia to provide compensation to victims, to prosecute abusers, to implement labor protections, and to enact meaningful reform to ensure protection of human rights.
In summary, the plight of migrant women working as housemaids in Saudi Arabia highlights the systemic abuses and insufficient institutional framework in the Arab kingdom. The recent return of migrant women to Kenya signifies a renewed push for the country’s government to take further action to protect its nationals abroad, and the UN Working Group’s recommendations provide a roadmap for better addressing these abuses at their root causes.
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