'Sponsor's wife slaps maid'

A complaint has been filed at Isa Town Police Station in Bahrain after a Sri Lankan housemaid was allegedly attacked in the Labour Ministry.

The Bahraini wife of the 28-year-old's sponsor has been accused of slapping her across the face with her handbag and pushing her around. The alleged attack took place in the arbitration office, when a ministry official left the room to photocopy some documents.

Migrant Workers Protection Society action committee head Marietta Dias said the assault only stopped when a worker from a neighbouring office heard the commotion and intervened.

A police officer stationed within the ministry was called but the sponsor's wife left the building before he arrived on the scene.

One of the society volunteers had accompanied the maid, who is originally from Nittambuwa, to the ministry, but was not in the room as they are not allowed to take part in arbitration meetings.

Dias said she had not come across such a case in more than four decades of work for the organisation.

"We cannot let this go on," she said. "The woman ran away in the first place because they had mistreated her." After being informed of the attack, Dias went to the Labour Ministry to demand action and accompanied the maid to the police station.

"By the time the policeman at the ministry arrived, the woman had walked out and no one was bothered about it," she said, "Luckily, the housemaid speaks Arabic and was able to tell the police exactly what happened." Dias said the society had earlier filed a complaint against the Bahraini family at the Labour Ministry for allegedly beating the maid and withholding part of her wages.

Dias said the maid was handed over to the organisation just before the National Day celebrations by police after running away from her sponsor, who she had worked for one year.

The Sri Lankan claims her sponsor had been cutting BD5 from her wages every month to cover the costs of her ticket to Bahrain, which they say, cost them BD500. - Gulf Daily News