Mombasa, Kenya (AP) – More than 70 Kenyan women documented their painful experiences as family workers in Saudi Arabia in a new report released Tuesday.
In a report initiated by the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa, the rights group documented how recruiters deceived workers, refused to rest days, and worked in inhumane conditions with little salary.
One of the women, Bigeni Maina Mwangi, told the Associated Press how she promised to work in a beautician in Saudi Arabia, found herself trapped in a life of family slavery under exploitative conditions.
“The contract I signed in Nairobi has changed,” she said. “The agent said I had no choice but to work.”
Mwangi worked in Saudi Arabia for 17 months without a salary. When she was finally sent home, the promised salary never came. She found a better job in Dubai due to the rising unemployment rate in Kenya, but returning to Oman in 2020 even led to a serious situation.
“I often work in three houses and usually have no food,” she said.
The amnesty report urges the Kenyan and Saudi governments to expand the scope of labor protection to family workers, prosecuting abuse of employers and ban recruitment agencies from exploitation.
Another woman, Mejuma Shaban Ali, tells the story of her contract at a major airport in Kenya and then flew out in 2014. Her journey took her to what she called “prison.”
“I was forced to escape a house disguised as garbage,” Ali said. “I went to the embassy to seek help. Instead, I was told to find another employer because I didn't make money to pay off my employer.”
After she had contact with her agent, she eventually worked illegally and her passport was still held by her first employer.
Both women demanded a crackdown on rogue recruitment agencies and stronger embassy support. Ali warned: “Omans who have no way out suffer.”
The Rights Team estimates that in Saudi Arabia, more than 150,000 Kenyans serve as domestic workers.
“The system is equal to modern slavery,” said Kenya executive director Irungu Houghton.
The Kenyan government has cracked down on exploitative recruitment agencies in recent months and has promised to protect Kenyans abroad. The Labor Ministry in April promoted the return of more than 100 Kenyans who were deceived by an agency and stranded in Myanmar and Thailand.
