Housemaid is treated like a mother by family
We are always reading letters about housemaids and how they are harassed by their sponsors and mistreated on a daily basis.
However, recently I heard of one Sri Lankan housemaid who has lived more than 30 years with her sponsor in Al Qusais. She told us her sponsors (UAE nationals) are so good to her and their four children treat her like a mother not like a maid.
The maid suffers with many illnesses but this kind sponsor and their children are spending lots of money taking her to expensive hospitals, always taking care of her. She told us that during one of her vacation periods, while she was in Sri lanka, she was so ill and couldn’t return on her due date. The first son of the sponsor’s family who was in the USA, heard of her news and went direct to her home in Sri lanka, brought her back to the UAE and took her to the family doctor. So now she is living full of happiness.
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She said the secret of her long life as a maid is “honesty”. She never cheated her sponsor or family.
So, not all maids are abused and surely this gives maids hope.
Sigiri, Dubai
Comments
by skootch
Monday, September 10 2012, 9:45AM
“That's one ! Any more ?”
by Gavtek
Monday, September 10 2012, 8:35AM
“While this is a heart-warming tale, this is not what housemaids want. They don't want to be dependent on their sponsor for 30 years, they just want to be treated with respect and paid a fair amount of money that they can use to support their own family, and leave without punishment at the end of their contract with all of their teeth and bones in one piece. Sadly, this actually happening is far too rare.”