Arab News 

JEDDAH, Aug 16: An official of the Passport Department blamed Saudi citizens for the thriving black market for illegal domestic workers particularly during the month of Ramadan when families seek out extra hands to deal with lots of visitors and iftar fast breaking.

“It is the citizens without any sense of patriotism who look for illegal domestic maids and encourage the black market to supply runaway housemaids or those who remain back in the country after Umrah or Haj season,” Maj. Gen. Adel Katib, assistant director general of Passport Department for Haj and Umrah in Makkah province, said in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat yesterday.

Katib was prompted to put the blame on citizens after he examined several reports on runaway maids available at the Passport Department.

“There are citizens who tempt and lure housemaids with the help of expatriate middlemen to work for them with salaries several times higher than they used to receive from their sponsors on the basis of their contracts,” he added.

“We have a special department to handle the housemaids issue, our men patrol residential districts on a daily basis and detain illegal workers. Our men also raid hide-outs of their brokers and arrest them with the help of detectives,” he said.

“When the detectives provide reliable information that some illegal workers have been making moral violations, the passport officials would fine the employer for illegally employing expatriate workers. The involved workers would pay a fine and face deportation.”

He added that a sponsor would be penalized if he failed to report when a domestic worker ran away.

He called on the people, who needed to employ domestic workers, to resort to legal channels to recruit them. He pointed out that approved methods would be less expensive than what a broker would offer.

The official also drew the attention of the public to the warning statements repeatedly issued by the Passport Department against offering any assistance to foreign pilgrims who stay after Haj and Umrah, a common tactic used by foreigners seeking entry into the Kingdom to work illegally.

According to the Passport Department’s regulations, those who employ, transport or shelter such people will be jailed and fined SR10,000. If an expatriate were found to have committed such a violation, he would be fined and deported. The official also called on the public to dial 992 if they get any information about overstayers.