When 25-year-old Marilyn Vinuan accepted a job as a housemaid in Ajman in 2008, she came to save for her family in the Philippines. What she got instead was 18 months of confinement and beatings, torment that ended only when she sought refuge in her embassy.
Stories like these may be the exception in the UAE. But tales of abuse and contract violations happen to domestic help enough that advocates, and now governments, are demanding accountability.
MORE ON EMPLOYING DOMESTIC STAFF
Philippines mulls ban on Gulf maids
Philippine government considers banning its citizens from working as domestic staff in the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar as it does not believe these countries protect their rights.
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Adverts target abuse of domestic workers
An advertising campaign focusing on the abuse of domestic workers has been launched on television, imploring employers to show compassion to their staff.
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A better life that has been anything but
Safe houses shelter more than 300 Filipinas who fled abuse by the very people they had hoped would make their dreams come true with jobs in the UAE.
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MORE ON ABUSE OF DOMESTIC WORKERS
As TheNational reports today, the Philippines is considering banning its citizens from accepting domestic work in three GCC countries - Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. A resolution to this effect has been proposed in Manila but it awaits approval from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.
As officials in Manila see it, Gulf employers have so far failed to protect this sector of their workforce. While the UAE has improved the lot of labourers in recent years, workers in the home have too often fallen outside legal protections.
Not all governments will agree, of course. Nepal, for one, last year lifted its ban on women working in Gulf countries, including this one. But there's no disputing that additional protections are needed.
Domestic workers in the UAE are part of the family fabric. Labour laws need to treat them that way. The UAE has in recent years made commendable progress in labour rights, improving health and safety standards, introducing wage protection systems and improving accommodation conditions. But so far legal protections of domestic workers remain inadequate.
Any ban would have serious ramifications for the Philippines; the World Bank ranks the country as the world's 4th largest remittance recipient, with nationals sending US$21.3 billion (Dh78 billion) home annually. That Manila is considering severing a portion of this critical revenue stream illustrates the government's concern.
It's a message of urgency that must not be lost on leaders in the Gulf.
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
MATCH INFO
Wales 1 (Bale 45 3')
Croatia 1 (Vlasic 09')
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club:
1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16
UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed