Human rights in Doha. maid beaten like animal
Maid ‘beaten up for wishing to go home’Published: Wednesday, 25 June, 2008, 01:54 AM Doha Time
The housemaid shows the injuries allegedly inflicted by the son of her sponsor
By Nour Abuzant
AN INDONESIAN housemaid was admitted to hospital on Sunday with multiple bruises covering the upper part of her body.
The 23 year old claimed she had been beaten by the son of her sponsor because “he refused to let her return to her home country after she had finished her 2-year contract.”
She said the attack lasted an hour and a half, adding: “He used to drink water in between and continued to beat me for some 90 minutes. Then he asked me to continue working.”
The housemaid claimed that other members of the Qatari family did not intervene to save her because they were “afraid of him”.
She added that the man had regularly hit her in the past but she had stayed to fulfil the obligations of her contract.
The 74-year-old female sponsor of the maid later said that her son used to beat his four daughters as well and that it was “a matter of habit”.
The day after her ordeal, the maid escaped from the house and contacted the recruitment agency that arranged her employment. In turn, they informed her embassy.
A police report was filed in Khalifa police station, but at press time, no action had been taken.
A hospital report confirmed that the maid was badly beaten. As her status was “stable” she was discharged from hospital after receiving treatment.
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