Human Rights Abuse: The Underbelly of Saudi Arabia

International Analysts Network, 23 Jan 2009

Norman T. Lihou

Saudi Arabia promotes itself to be the jewel of the Middle East and home of the most important place to those who follow the religion of Islam. The country holds itself up as a beacon of the way Islam should be practiced and claims it can be done without the radical elements which seem to connect the religion and terrorism. Although it can be argued that the militant extremist version that Usama bin Laden purports has its roots deep in the Saudi Arabia government sanctioned version of Wahabism. However, when one examines the practice of "perfect Islam" in Saudi, one finds some very disturbing facts about the way "others" are treated under this religion.

People from third world countries flock to Saudi for the promise of a better life but typically fall into "modern slavery" where the price of living outweighs the pay. The downward spiral begins when the women go through worker recruitment agencies which charge for the job in another country. The employer may also levy charges on top of the recruiting fee for hiring the worker and then charge for room and board. This deadly cycle creates a mountain of debt which can never be repaid and keeps that person enslaved to the employer. The outlook is even worse for migrant domestic workers (almost two million are women) who are not guaranteed overtime pay or a weekly rest day. The accusations of physical and sexual abuse run rampant but when taken to court, a Saudi court, the victims often get a double dose of abuse. The employers accuse the worker of witchcraft or moral crimes which can then bring a sentence of 60 to 490 lashes and up to 10 years of imprisonment. 24 Filipino guest workers were sentenced in 1996 to 200 lashes for "homosexual behavior".

If you are a foreigner in Saudi Arabia, you cannot own a business or land and typically you work for a Saudi business owner who can take away your work visa at a moments notice. The workers cannot legally leave the country, travel outside the city of their employment, change jobs or get an exit visa without obtaining the written permission of their sponsors. There are many cases where Saudis have refused to pay workers and keep them locked up when they are not working.

Take the case of Nour Miyati, an Indonesian domestic worker, who lost her fingers due to gangrene in 2005 after she was locked up by her employer and then sentenced to 79 lashes by a court in Riyadh for accusing him of abuse. - Amnesty International

Seven members of a Saudi family who employed four Indonesian women as domestic workers severely beat them after accusing them of practicing "black magic" on the family's teenage son. Siti Tarwiyah Slamet, 32, and Susmiyati Abdul Fulan, 28, died from their injuries. Ruminih Surtim, 25, and Tari Tarsim, 27, are receiving treatment in the Intensive Care Unit of Riyadh Medical Complex. - Human Rights Watch

Siti Mujiati, an Indonesian domestic worker, was not allowed to return to Indonesia for 6 years and 8 months and never received any pay for all the years of service. - Human Rights Watch

Haima G., a Filipino domestic worker was brought into the bedroom of her employer and raped over and over again. She told the woman of the house and was then locked away until she escaped and hid in her embassy for 9 months. She was then told she was going to be deported after an unsuccessful attempt at a trial against her former employer. - Human Rights Watch

Ponnamma S., Sri Lankan domestic worker was physically abused for nearly 18 months every time pay was mentioned. - Human Rights Watch

Masad Mohamed Abou Wafi el-Gawhari, an Egyptian, was found guilty of stealing 259,000 Saudi riyal from his guarantor. When Masad asked his guarantor, Saudi Fuhad bin Aoud al-Rashidi, to let him go back to Egypt, the man kept stalling and when Masad insisted, his guarantor accused him of robbing him. - EgyptSearch.com

Rizana Nafeek a 17 year old Sri Lankan domestic worker was sentenced to death by a Saudi court for murdering a baby in her care. Nafeek described the incident as an accident, but did not have access to legal or consular assistance during the trial, and alleged she was forced to confess. - World Report 2008

Even more disturbing is to hear the abuse from the victim's own mouth:

"She beat me until my whole body burned. She beat me almost every day.... She would beat my head against the stove until it was swollen. She threw a knife at me but I dodged it. I had a big black bruise on my arm where she had beaten my arm with a cooking spoon, she beat me until the spoon broke into two pieces. This behavior began from the first week I arrived. It was the lady employer, the man was good…. She would scream, "I hope you die! I hope your family dies! I hope you become deformed!" She never paid me for 10 months. I thought if I don't escape, I will die." —Wati S., Indonesian domestic worker, Human Rights Watch

"They treated me like a dog, not like a human being. The whole family treated me like this….Everything [had to be] separate for me. I was not allowed to be with them. Even my clothes couldn't be put in the washing machine. I had to hand wash them separately. I had to use separate forks and spoons." Nur A., an Indonesian migrant, Human Rights Watch.

These are not isolated cases, the embassies of the migrant workers receive thousands of complaints a year. Our own government recognizes the problem. US Department of State, Trafficking in Persons Report 2007 - "The Government of Saudi Arabia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. The government continues to lack adequate anti-trafficking laws, and, despite evidence of widespread
trafficking abuses, did not report any criminal prosecutions, convictions, or prison sentences for trafficking crimes committed
against foreign domestic workers."

Ed Husein the author of The Islamist, writes about his travels to Saudi and seeing the rows of houses, made from corrugated metal slapped together, where the third class citizens lived. These were people who were followers of Islam but because they were not Saudi or Arab were treated with as much respect as a dog. Husein is deeply affected by his eye-opening experience and how it revealed the hypocricsy of Saudis being a perfect example of Islam.  

Analysis:
The King of Saudi Arabia has an anti-human trafficking law that is awaiting his approval. The law was submitted by religious scholars who say that under Sharia Law that legal human trafficking should be criminalized. While everyone waits to see what the King will do, the real question is can Saudi change a way of life and bigotry that plagues it? How long will the international community turn a blind eye to the suffering of its citizens before calling for change? An even bigger question for Americans, is why does our government turn a blind eye to a government that does nothing to stop human trafficking and modern slavery? Why do we continue to be an enabler of human rights violaters and abusers?

How can we change our image in the world when the people know we don't really stand for freedom and the pursuit of happiness? How can we ever really have an effective foreign policy when people are abused in every way imaginable and we shake hands with those same abusive governments and call them friends? These are some of the root causes for the animosity that the world feels towards us. Let's hope we can actually address this issue.
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