Noor arrived in Dubai from Ethiopia 18 months ago to work as a housemaid for a local family. Only 19, she is now pregnant after being raped by her employer. Noor is not her real name.
“I don’t want to keep the baby … I need to provide for my family back in Ethiopia,†she told IRIN.
“The wife warned me that her husband had done this before, and not to speak to him too much,†Noor said, sobbing. “But one night he came into my room, threw me on the floor and raped me, while one of his children, a three-year-old, stood in the room and watched.â€Â
She did not report the incident to the police for fear of being deported. When the family learned she was pregnant, they “told me to go home to Ethiopia and have the baby and then return to work for them,†Noor said.
According to an international watchdog, Human Rights Watch (HRW), there have been no cases of the prosecution in the UAE, of employers accused of raping domestic servants.
“This provides a culture of impunity that perpetuates sexual crimes against domestic workers. Our research indicates that all rape cases of domestic servants that are brought to the attention of the authorities, are settled out of court and no one has been prosecuted,†said Hadi Ghaemi, HRW’s Researcher for Middle East and North Africa Division.
“But we have been in contact with dozens and dozens of girls. Ninety-nine percent of the cases are horrific.†“I’ve seen women with bruises all over, and I know another girl who was forced to go into her employer’s room every night for s*x,†she said.
Angela cited rape, beating and starvation as ‘common’ forms of abuse. On top of this, “All have spent months paying back agencies for contracts and labour insurance,†she said. She said one girl had nothing to eat except the bread she stole and hid. Most domestic workers said they ate leftovers.
Tags: