A recent Human Rights Watch report warned that millions of domestic workers in Asia and the Middle East are subject to abuse, violence, and inhumane working conditions.
These maids, who come largely from the Philippines, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Ethiopia, are brought to their host countries — Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and Singapore — on a "sponsorship" system that essentially renders them indentured servants. The maids' passports are confiscated when they arrive, and they often owe exorbitant fees to recruitment agencies. This sponsorship system encourages trafficking and forced labor and confinement. Continue reading.
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