La revolution des maids!!!
While I was doing my womanish chat with my friend from Boston, she asked me out of the blue “did you hear the news?” and I was like “no, kheir?” And she told me about this Saudi Lady who comes every year to Massachusetts with her entourage. Apparently two of the maids, learnt upon coming into the US that they are human beings and they have rights! So they ran away few days ago and went to the police with an elaborated story of abuse they face in her house!
This lady is in so much trouble. Racisim, Abuse, Theft, Fraud she signed that they take 1000 $ but only gives them 100 minor exploitation and molest 7azha il m3atar the maids are 16 and 17! … you name it! I was surprised… actually I was so fascinated with the story that I caught myself jumping around saying Bravo 3aleihom!! She deserves it!
I mean come on… vive la revolution!
This reminded me of a something related. When I went to France last year. This French guy was telling us how he was horrified when he was in Beirut at how they abuse the maids… and he went into a detailed description how maids are being hit, sleep in balconies or in the kitchen floor, sometimes raped…how they work non stop for hours and hours and then get slapped or bashed if anything goes wrong… I remember seeing all those appalled expressions on those pretty French faces. I was so ashamed to say that these stories are very familiar in Jordan, so I pretended to be as surprised and horrified as the French and heard myself repeating words like “Really?! They do this in Beirut?! “ OH MY GOD!” “How could anyone be so cruel?” “How could humanity stoop so low!!?”
Maids in Jordan and other places apparently are treated like slavesor maybe worse! Even in the most CHIC families, where everyone is so elegant and refined, where the lady of the house is so busy with charity, the master is a very prominent member of society, the sons are successful and the daughters are beyond attractive and smart!… you would see the maids living in totally unstylish conditions… so if you have a maid, and your maid works more than 8 hours a day and she does not have her own bed and gets slapped or yelled at for only 100$ then …. BEWARE… Because you are just another person who fell into the hypocrisy and the trap of dehumanizing the maids and you are in contradiction with human rights, and amnesty international and international law and maybe… just maybe one day you will find yourself in as much trouble as our Saudi friend is!
I can only wonder what would have happened had they ran away in Saudi, Lebanon or even Jordan? We have zero-respect for human rights. Lucky for them they were on American Soil
Yazan Mj Malakha
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I lived with a prominent family in Jordan and our maid (and I hate calling her that) became one of my very best friends because she was near my age and I just couldn't imagine treating her less than human.
The father and mother always called her “the girl” which I thought was demeaning.
She had to work all the time, got one day off per month and got a total sum of $100 dollars a month. At least she wasn't sexually abused.
If I could do anything when I have more money, I would love to bring her to live in the US, or at least help her find a decent job somewhere.
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thant is sweet… i hope you would have enough money to do just that… I thought that i would sponsor our maid to go to university. if she made it that far that is!!
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welcome to my blog! i think these two girls made it because they knew they can get away with it here…. i am happy for them, i hope the rest of their lives would be good for them.
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Hey madas well from the day i was born till today we had maids in our house, I am not just saying this but really we treat her as a friend she has her own food ,room and closet we get her gifts we even give her a radio to get some entertainment. I even sit with her and talk about me or she tell me about her children or bf, if she wasn't married. I don't think she even work 8 hours but maybe some days she work more if we have visitors or smthn. I feel its not like a maid and madam its like you have an office and this an employee so i have to treat her good in order for her to stay loyal. I donno what people may think but i guess i will have to have a maid even when i get married coz i will be busy working and continuing my studies. Thats me sue me.
Mirachka
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Mira, I don t think there is anything wrong with having a maid, especially if someone is used to having them. One of the advantages of living in the middle east is the ability to have maids, I have a problem with the way some people view maids… I am happy to hear that you treat them well… actually i am not surprised, i always get the feeling you are a very kind person
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Its just that humans are dependent by nature you don't make your own bread you go buy it. Other people provide you with services as telephone and electricity or fix your computer cause you cant do nor learn everything. So to me she doesn't differ from anyone of us we are all workers. She take care of my house while i take care of my business so what? Its just that some people think i am spoiled if i have a maid, I just dont see why? I don't have super powers to do everything and i am glad that some people can manage but i am sorry i can't. Got my point?
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http://mirashnoudi.blogspot.com/2005/07/maids-part-one.html
Madas and check this i got really harsh responses in this one and what bothers me is that i really did nothing to be told this.
Mira
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Mira, I dont think that the responses were harsh and even if they were it is ok… I mean by now, you realize that the world is not as nice as you imagine it is, and not all human bieng are good or nice, i would ignore them, because most probablt they are jealous…. as for the smoking maid…even though i am pro human rights and all that and i think it is good you did not talk to her in the spot or infron of the other maid. But thinks about it like this… if you work in a company and smoking is prohibited, you would get fired if caught smoking in secret, whether this company is in Jordan , USA or Hawaii! if i were you i would talk to the maid in private and tell her that if you caught her smoking again you will tell your parents. period!
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My parents found out alone later and told her we will give u cigaretts if you wanna smoke just dont steal them or go out and buy them without us knowing. I guess fair enough
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Hi Mariam – long time no see..
I've been reading your blog for a while, I am a reader who never posts – sorry
but i like it – keep up the good work..
While I am not against the concepts of maids – I do believe that it's true that most of them are not well-treated within the arab world.. Growing up, we always had a live-in housekeeper (never reffered to as shaghaleh – always by her first name). She always had her own room, with a TV, bed, closet and private bathroom.. She NEVER worked fridays or after 8 pm (unless we had company/parties, and then we all helped, she never did it alone)..
And you have to remember that even though they are not very highly paid (by our standards), $ 100-200 a month does a LOT for a family in the Philipines, Sri Lanka or Indonesia..
However, saying all that.. I find it EXTREMELY difficult to take that step myself now that I have my own home and baby.. For many reasons, on being that I have a small apartment and she would not have her own private space (which we think wouldn't be fair to her)..
But mainly, I couldn't imagine sharing my son upbringing with an unsupervised stranger.. Especially one who probably left her own children back home.. that would break my heart.. and I would feel bad whenever she saw me playing with him, or buying him something, or holding him..
Plus, I know i wouldn't be like this, but I have seen too many arab moms 'leaving' their children with the help – even if they are physically there.. and the children end up being raised by the maid..
I am trying my best to do what I can to avoid this for now.. I've been working since Sanad was 4 months old (he'll be a year this week). He has been in nursery since then (which has done wonders to his development) but we've also relied on his aunt or our friends in a pinch..
Recently – with my work getting more stressful and spilling over to my 'home' time, we have been contemplating hiring a full-time housekeeper to help out with Sanad and the house – and this would have been the 'cheaper' option (if you weigh in the cost of daycare, babysitting, part-time house cleaning, laundry etc)..
However, the thought freaked both me and Duri out and we decided against it completely.. I decided to leave work and stay at home for now.. Sanad will still be going to nursery three times a week so I can have some 'me' time..
I'll probably go crazy from doing 'nothing' – even though a child is MORE than a full time job – but at least this way, I don't have to compromise my principles or peace of mind..
Keep blogging..
Sorry for the long reply..
Dalia (aka Um Sanad)
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Dalia,
When I read your comment, (ash3ar badani!) mainly because I was extremely happy to hear from you! honestly.. I read your blog as well, adn i have thought a lot about you in the last years… I was very happy when Sanad was born, and i am always very happy to ehar your news
As for the maids… staying home is not too bad, really i mean you go crazy for a while, but soon you figure out ways to cope with it. I totally agree with you, I just can't think of having my kids ( they dont exist yet) with maids… I feel they are too precious, and i alwyas think of motherhood as the most fascinating experience a woman can go through… So what i am trying to tell you is that i support you on your decision, i think it is the right one… and after all… worlk is not going anywhere, you can always find a job later… but these precious years with sanad will go and never come back… so enjoy them my friend… and be happy… and Dalia you are the better person… 
i will get your email from Natsaha…
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It's another form of cheap labor and taking advantage of the unbelievable poverty that people in the Far East have. But it's not only us, Western countries are leaders in cheap labor!
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shoot i'm hareega above
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I wont argue!
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