Maid abuse led to Filipino ban in Jordan: sources

Jordanian labor sources have revealed the reasons behind a recent decision by the Philippines government temporarily banning the employment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) as household service workers (HSWs) in the Arab country, attributing it to reports of mistreatment.

The sources told Quds Press news agency that mistreatment included beating, preventing them from leaving the house and not paying them.

The Philippines embassy in the Jordanian capital has recently issued a ban on OFWs working in Jordan, citing high numbers of HSWs being employed without proper documentations.

President of the Jordanian syndicate for household service workers agents, Ahmed al-Faaouri, has asserted that a delegation from the syndicate has held talks with Filipino embassy officials over the matter. Al-Faaouri acknowledged some Jordanian families did treat their Filipino maids in “a bad way”, but he stressed that in some cases “the maids were to blame”.

Official figures show a total of 75,000 foreign domestic helpers in the tiny Kingdom, 88 percent of them come from Asia. Some 30% of that number stay in the country and work illegally.

In a related matter, Jordanian investors in the field of importing household service workers said they have been victims of fraud more than once, accusing Filipino diplomats of facilitating the escape of maids after the three month probation period is over.

The diplomats, they claim, give sanctuary to the maids and let them work as temporary employment at hotels and restaurants in exchange for commissions.