No Arab maids
According to authorities, Arab nationals are not allowed to take up domestic jobs in the UAE.
October 28, 2009 9:38 by kippreport
Arabs cannot be recruited as domestic workers such as maids or drivers in the UAE, according to a circular recently issued to all residency departments in the country, reports Gulf News. “Many Arab residents and Emiratis sometimes try to recruit an Arab domestic helper which is not allowed,” Brigadier Nasser Al Awadi Al Menhali, director general of the General Naturalisation and Residency Department (GNRD), told the paper. According to him, many sponsors apply for domestic helper visas for Arab nationals, but make them work elsewhere.
“Such practices affect the job market and it also lead to illegal residents who work for somebody else other than their sponsors,” he said.
Nationals from places such as Philippines, Indonesia and certain other Asian countries could be hired for domestic work, he added.
While the government’s intention may be good, how can a person be banned from doing any particular kind of work based on his/her nationality? Isn’t it true that several workers from Asian countries also jump jobs illegally? So shouldn’t they too be banned from doing domestic jobs?
What do you think is the answer to the problem?
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8 Comments
There is no answer. This is how it is. Love it or leave it; the UAE rule. Can you argue with that?
Is it not Arab pride thats impeding sanity? Are we not forgetting what’s happening in Palestine and Iraq? Changing mindsets takes time. This country’s only 40 years old and the pace of change creates challenges that might require time to address. Public dialogue is definitely helpful in creating awareness…
I think we have to look at it from another perspective. the problem is not because we Arab are super race and dont do these kind of job. the problem of the abuse. I’m sure that 90% of the maids to be (imported) wouldnt be maid but prostitute, mistresse, you name it
I think this low is to protect those kind of people and was not meant to deny their rights of work as house maids
Walid, why do you think there is a ban on drivers then?
What is the definition of an Arab. Is it any citizen of the Arab League member countries? Is a Somali or a Moroccan Berber an Arab? A Djiboutian Afar or a Comoran Islander?
So, Walid, based on your stunning logic, it is OK for an Asian woman to risk being exploted as a prostitute when she has been hired as a domestic helper, but not an Arab woman…
It is actually a rather racist law.
Such a law could not more clearly indicate that one things that Arabs are “too good” to be working such service jobs while nationals from other nations are fit to serve, especially in a personal capacity.
Does this law expire once the oil runs out?