Nepal bans travel of maids to Gulf: report

Nepal has banned the travel of housemaids to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf oil producers but could abolish the decision after an agreement on domestic workers is signed with the region, a newspaper reported on Thursday.

The decision affects only female domestic workers and it follows reports about mistreatment and other abuses of Asian maids by their employers in the Gulf, the Saudi Arabic language daily Alriyadh said.

It quoted Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Bangladesh, Abdullah Al Basiri, as saying citizens from the Gulf Kingdom should stop trying to recruit Nepalese maids through private hiring offices.

“Nepal now does not allow maids to travel to Saudi and other Gulf countries,” said Basiri, also Saudi non-resident ambassador to Nepal.

“The ban could be lifted once an agreement is signed between Nepal and Saudi Arabia on the hiring of housemaids…I advise Saudis not to go to hiring offices because the ban is still in force.”

Indonesia and the Philippines, the largest maid exporters to the Gulf, have also suspended their travel to Saudi Arabia following a rift over employment conditions and reports of their abuse.

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