Two dozen Cambodian women subjected to abuse and labor rights violations when they were exploited as maids in Saudi Arabia said they returned home on May 12, while 15 others are still waiting to leave the country.
The women, who went to the Middle Eastern country for jobs, said they were physically abused by their employers, including being denied food and sleep. Some said they had not been paid or that they were told they would have to work for much longer than their contracts stipulated.
Many of those who returned to Cambodia suffered mentally and physically from being forced to work long hours, not having enough food and water, and in some cases, not being paid, they said.
The case illustrates the risks that Cambodian migrant workers face when they go abroad for better-paying jobs as domestics. Many are subjected to a labor exploitation and serious abuses, including nonpayment of wages, excessive work hours, forced labor, and psychological, physical or sexual abuse by their employers.
The maids and other workers in Saudi Arabia had sought Cambodian government intervention and assistance since March.
In April, Cambodia’s Labor Ministry said 78 migrant workers who had been tricked into working in Saudi Arabia had been rescued and placed in hotel rooms under the care of Cambodian diplomats.
Cambodian officials claimed to be purchasing flights for the workers to return home, but they remained stranded for a few weeks, lacking access to adequate food.
The 24 workers recently repatriated to Cambodia were among a larger group of 39 Cambodians evacuated in April by diplomats from the Cambodian Embassy in Egypt, which also has responsibility for Saudi Arabia.
Lawsuit?
One of the recently returned maids told RFA that she and others, who were rescued earlier and arrived in Cambodia on April 28, would discuss the possibility of filing a lawsuit against the Cambodian company Fatina Manpower Co. Ltd. for exploiting them.
The maids said they were also forced to sign agreements not to sue the recruitment company before flying out of Saudi Arabia.
“I served [my employer] for many months when he was in Cambodia, and I served his family when I was in Saudi Arabia, but I did not get paid,” said one of the recently returned maids, who like others refused to be identified for fear of retribution.
“His family used us to cook for them [and] to serve his Japanese and Arabian students,” she said. “Many Arabian students used us to launder their clothes, clean their schools, clean homes and more.”
The remaining 15 said the embassy is still working to facilitate their repatriation.
Man Teramizy, owner of Fatina Manpower and a senior official at the Labor Ministry, intervened in the matter by visiting a group of workers in Saudi Arabia to facilitate the repatriation process and pay compensation to his partner company in Saudi Arabia, the workers said
He paid about US$1,000 per employee to terminate their contracts with the partner company, they said.
Chamroeun Srey Sor, one of the stranded workers, told RFA that she had not been paid by the company. She wants the embassy and relevant ministries to send her back to Cambodia as soon as possible.
“I’m asking [for] help [to] return to Cambodia as soon as possible because my mother in Cambodia has an eye disease, and no one takes care of her,” she said. “On top of that, my child is also living with her.”
RFA could not reach Uk Sarun, Cambodia’s ambassador to Egypt, or Labor Ministry spokesman Kata Un for comment.
Khun Tharo, program manager for the NGO Central, said the Cambodian government needs to investigate agents of companies that send workers to work in Saudi Arabia.
“If we do not find the person responsible for the problems that have occurred, then many of these Cambodian workers will become the unresolved victims of exploitation and serious labor rights violations,” he said.
Translated by Sum Sok Ry for RFA Khmer. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Khmer.
This post was originally published on Radio Free.