A leading rights campaigner in Bahrain has claimed that housemaids are being forced to work longer hours during Ramadan.

The Migrant Workers Protection Society says many domestic workers suffer from lack of proper rest and nutrition as they work up to 20 hours a day, according to a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN),our sister publication.

It runs a shelter for women, which last Ramadan received 150 complaints of mistreatment.

However, its chairwoman Marietta Dias said the figures for the first two weeks of this Ramadan were low with complaints focused on abuse and other labour issues.

“In Ramadan last year we had 150 women in our shelter, but we were only able to get proper information from about 115,” she told the GDN.

“On average, their working hours were 17 hours per day, some even worked 20 hours.

“They often have to get up at 4.30am or 5am and they’re not allowed to go to sleep until 11pm or midnight.

“If you don’t get adequate rest, how are you going to cope? They’re not machines.

“Ramadan obviously becomes more difficult for them. I wish families who] get up at 2.30am to eat before fasting then allow the maids to go back to sleep for a while to rest afterwards.

“Or they can make an arrangement with them that once they see the children off to school, rest for a few hours, then wake up fresh and start the housework.

“Just sit and think, can you do this all day? This Ramadan, you also have the heat and some maids are fasting themselves. You can’t expect the same output from them.

“Many who are Hindu or Christian are not fasting, and it’s more difficult for them because they can’t sit and eat easily.”

According to the latest Labour Market Regulatory Authority figures, there are 105,203 domestic workers in Bahrain – approximately 8.5 per cent of the population.

Many live on subsistence wages of as little as BD70 ($185) a month, if they are paid at all.

Some have even complained that during Ramadan they were left at home without food.

“We have more and more complaints from maids who are not being fed,” said Dias.

“A lot of houses aren’t cooking that much these days and going out to eat more often. They forget that the maid is at home and doesn’t have food.

“They’ve come to earn a living and make a better life for their daughters – we shouldn’t take advantage of that.”

The GDN earlier reported on a proposal for a unified GCC employment contract for domestic workers that seeks to give them the right to keep their passports and ensure they are paid monthly.

Cleaners, nannies, cooks, butlers, drivers and gardeners would be included in the new regulations, which are being reviewed by GCC Labour Ministers.

The GDN has partnered with UN Women to highlight its year­long campaign to promote gender equality. These series of articles are being published to mark the 20th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. – TradeArabia News Service