Housemaids in Ramadan
LOCAL VIEWPOINT
Last updated: Saturday, July 11, 2015 12:13 AM
Abdulaziz Al-Suwayegh
Al Madina
It seems that the Holy Month of Ramadan is not only for fasting and praying. Domestic servants seem to capitalize on the month.
Most families need housemaids throughout the year, especially in Ramadan when most families cannot enjoy Ramadan without a housemaid.
Why is this the case? This is because those families view the holy month as the month of sleeping and laziness.
It seems that families in other Gulf countries share the same viewpoint. They too have changed the way they view Ramadan.
In the United Arab Emirates, newspapers talk about the shortage of expatriate workers during the month, especially domestic servants.
The recruitment offices there receive an avalanche of recruitment applications in Ramadan from families who require housemaids and cooks.
The recruitment process has become complicated following the moratorium on Filipino, Indonesian and Ethiopian housemaids.
In this month, housemaids who charge per hour receive huge sums of money. The rates, sometimes, also increase significantly.
A group of people have also come together and launched a campaign: “A home without a housemaid.” They are basically calling housewives to do their household chores alone without a housemaid since reward from Allah Almighty in this month increases significantly.