Dubai: Around 1,000 “destitute” Indian maids and workers are helped by the Indian consulate in Dubai to return home every year after facing issues in the UAE, the consulate said.
Their return is facilitated after all options to close their issues with employers or local regulations have first been exhausted, the Consulate General of India in Dubai told Gulf News.
Around 100-150 of the cases involve maids; the rest are workers in “various other categories”.
There are rules protecting the interests of Indian maids in the UAE, including a Dh1,100 minimum monthly wage and a Dh9,200 security deposit paid by the sponsor.
However, many women work unofficially as maids, with many households using their services outside the formal system.
Some maids abscond after not receiving salaries, or due to “personal problems” or homesickness, the consulate said, while some overstay their visa and incur fines.
A number of them are also duped by some manpower agents who place them in unofficial work, outside the safeguards of the labour system.
There are also instances where maids have found themselves stranded after serving time for crime.
In many cases, the maid’s passport is held by the employer, which is against the law. Unable to navigate their way out of problems, many maids turn to the consulate for help in finding temporary shelter before returning to India.
Indian officials have repeatedly urged Indian maids — and all Indian expats in general — to register with Indian missions.
In 2013, 985 maids were registered with the consulate and 2014 figures are also around the same. The figures only relate to Indian maids who have been employed through the official system and are registered with the consulate.
The number of “distressed or shelter-oriented cases” in 2013 and 2014 has also remained around the same, the consulate added.
In the majority of cases of maids who are registered with the consulate, there are no issues or only minor issues, it said.
“Mainly, because of the strict procedures, very rarely does a complaint come in. It’s mostly a personal problem, they are often homesick. We tell them to make the family employing them their own family,” a statement from the consulate said.
Around 70 per cent of the maids are employed by Indians, who prefer to employ a maid from their own region in India. The rest of the employers are mainly Emirati.
The figures don’t account for maids who enter or work in the UAE illegally.
The consulate also works with local authorities in arranging an “outpass” for stranded maids if their passport and visa papers are not at hand.
Normally, a maid is guaranteed a ticket home by the employer after her contract ends.
The officials handling distressed maid cases are “very dedicated. They need to devote extra effort and time. They really go out of their way, whether it is going to the airport to see them off — even if it’s 1am — or going on jail visits”, the consulate added.
