If Indonesia really cared they would ban sending women to Saudi Arabia, and other countries, that are guilty of crimes against humanity. Apparently the end justifies the means - it's all about money.
It is about the money - $4.8 BILLION dollars is transferred yearly from these workers here in the Middle East back to Malaysia and beyond, what government is going to give up that?
I feel so sorry that the governments of these countries allow their maids to come to the Middle East without following up with the maids at intervals to ensure their basic rights are being met and that they have not endured any abuse and have been paid on time. All maids should be taken to their embassies every few months to sign a document that states the above.
I always think of how brave these women must be to go into the house of someone they don't know - and under sponsorship, which means they are tied to the family no matter what. It must be so frightening!
It is truly awful. We regularly heard painful screams coming from somewhere close to our compound late at night (we had huge villas owned by locals across from us) I did see a young Indonesian woman with bruises on her face putting rubbish in the communal wheelie bins but she scuttled away when others approached her. A friend also told us about how she helped a traumatised maid by giving her the telephone number of her embassy and offered a safe haven if she was being beaten. She also bravely told her neighbours that she knew what was happening as she too heard cries etc coming from the house. This was a long term expat who has lived in the ME almost 30 years. I'm sorry but there are so many people who still live in the middle ages with attitudes to match.
If Indonesia really cared they would ban sending women to Saudi Arabia, and other countries, that are guilty of crimes against humanity. Apparently the end justifies the means - it's all about money.