I have started my new blogsite with one of my pet hate subjects - domestic maids. Not a pet hate in terms of who they are and where they come from but how they are used and abused throughout the Middle East. I am sure we have all read about some of the horror stories surrounding these poor creatures. When I worked in Kuwait last year I was constantly bewildered by the sight of these young women who were forced to wear what resembled a pair of pyjammas as a uniform. I have also seen their sad faces, embarassed faces, as they trudge behind their masters in nightgown-type sheets. One can only imagine their lives within the four walls of the master and mistresses' houses. Can the mistreatment of these people lead to attempted suicide? You bet!
I include here what was a famous example of how the abuse of a maid can drive her to suicide. This happened to a young Sri Lankan maid called Sushar Rosky. She was only 21 years old and had been in Lebanon for 20 days (2005). What drove a young girl like this, innocent and naive, to take her own life. The picture included here is shocking and it is graphic. A picture is worth a thousand words and one can only wonder what was going through her mind as she tied together those bedsheets, secured one end to the balcony of the third-floor apartment, tied the other end around her neck, and threw herself over the side. I can tell you she must have undergone some serious abuse to have taken her own life in such a horrific fashion.
And yet, to my knowledge, this story attracted very little attention from mainstream media. I only knew about it because I was working in the Middle East at the time. There was no publicised enquiry by the Sri Lanklan government. I will be returning to this subject from time to time. However, I leave you with this awful photo . . . yes, a picture is worth a thousand words!
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