PUBLIC RADIO INTERNATIONAL (14/6/2019)
“Discounted maids!” announces a male voice on the radio. “If you’re not satisfied you can return your maid for free.”
Every week, ads aired on the radio in Jordan offer “one-month trial” periods and “cash on delivery” options for employers who want to hire migrant domestic workers. Online ads via social media also boast offers like “Delivery in 30 days,” and “Enjoy a month of discounts on maid.”
For $200 a month, these ads promise domestic workers for hire who can clean, cook, take care of the children, the elderly, and the disabled.
Domestic workers arrive in Jordan as part of the Kafala system, a form of sponsorship first introduced in Gulf states to regulate the entry of migrant workers. The system is common across the Middle East.
An estimated 50,000 registered domestic workers live in Jordan, in addition to tens of thousands of undocumented domestic workers. Most of them are women.
Most come from the Philippines, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Uganda, attracted by the opportunity to escape grinding poverty in their home countries. Some come through agencies that offer two-year contracts with promises of lucrative incomes that will allow workers to send money home.
Joanna moved from the northern Philippines to Jordan 10 years ago at the age of 20 to work as a domestic worker in a home in Amman, the capital. Her name has been changed to protect her identity.
“The first family I worked for didn’t treat me well. I worked from 5 in the morning until midnight and I was not allowed to rest during the day. I spent the day cooking, cleaning and taking care of three children,” she says.
Read more: https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-06-14/maids-sale-how-ads-trap-women-modern-day-slavery-jordan