Outrageously brutal

THE brutal assault on an Indian worker in Saudi Arabia by her employer is outrageous. Kasthuri Munirathnam is in hospital with her arm chopped off. A prompt reaction by the Minister of External Affairs would have contributed to the arrest by the Saudi police of the woman who employed and grievously injured the 56-year-old maid from Mungileri village in Tamil Nadu. The assault was apparently a reaction to the maid complaining about her living conditions, and of ill treatment by the family.

Kasthuri and the other more than three lakh maids, who are employed in Saudi Arabia, seek work abroad in an endeavour to better their financial prospects. They often have a family to support and try to build a little nest egg for themselves, if they can. In foreign lands with minimal support systems, if any, they are vulnerable, and are sometimes exploited. It was only last year that a standard contract for Indian domestic workers was agreed to. It lays down responsibilities for the employee and the employer. However, it is far from comprehensive and no effective monitoring system has been set up to enforce the provisions set out in the pact.  Immigrants expect to work hard for what they earn, but what they demand — and are entitled to — is fair conduct and, at the very least, an assurance of safety. The kingdom failed to create conditions for such security to Kasthuri.

Saudi Arabia is a favoured destination for tens of lakhs of Indian workers, yet human rights organisations point out that exploitation begins at the stage of recruitment and continues till workers return. Expatriates are made to work as much as 16 hours a day, they are not paid full wages in time and their passports are kept by their employers. In a society that is not known for transparency, they are largely unaware of their legal rights. Sometimes they are brutalised. They need better protection, as the latest incident painfully demonstrates. Even as the government brings back Kasthuri and pursues the legal case against her assaulter, it should redouble its effort to provide consular protection to Indian citizens working abroad.