I came across this story in the Arabic Sabla.

Nanny the Slave (http://www.iabolish.com/news/press-coverage/2004/bh04-24-04.htm)

Justice (http://www2.townonline.com/brookline/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=15220)

What a shame that those involved were Omani. I hope that people in the GCC particularly realise the error of their ways and start treating everyone like human beings. The few times that I brought up this subject to a few people (Omanis) and argued in favour of the servants I was laughed at. But look's like Nanny's laughing all the way to the bank!

yes its sad how some ppl look at servants like they are not human beings...there is this agency ( here in Oman ) where they keep the maids locked with no food until they are taken to their new houses. its enough that these ppl leave their families and children and travel to a strange country, i don't know when will ppl realize that they are humans as well.

exactly, they left their family, childrens sometime for up to 2 years or more , then end up in these situation, it is sad. :mad: :bang:

How can people be so horriable to them?
Its so heart-breaking..
I mean from all the people to be horriable to, they choose people who are poor and needy?
THAT, goes beyond EVIL :fire:

I think it's bad enough that maids are expected to be on 'stand-by' 24/7 for a measly RO 40-60 per month. That in itself is harsh. Underqualified Omanis refuse to take up respectable jobs working 8am-4pm 6 days a week for less than RO 200-300 but they think it's more than fair to work a servant for over 14 hrs a day for a fraction of that amount. And awain he consider ourselves civilised :duh:

I liked your title Diva 'modern day slavery'. People think that slavery has been totally abolished when in fact it still exists but in different forms. But who's going to stand up for these people? I just can't see a rights movement happening for them. The problem is most maids WILL take this treatment in return for getting that small wage pay at the end of the month because they need it so desperately.

What's worse is this is happening in a MUSLIM country, with all our pride about being 'muslims' we fail to comply with the smallest details about being a muslim; equality, mercy, justice...

It is a sad fact that people, in general, read one side of the story and arrive at a certain opinion or conclusion. Certain Omani families and students (as well as nationals from GCC countries) who go abroad (particularly the west) come across difficulties in dealing with situation when faced with unreasonable demands of their nannies, who become obsessed in getting rich quick and resort to blackmailing and extortion.
In this particular case, the nanny filed a frivolous lawsuit to extort money .In case you don’t know what is a frivolous lawsuit, please visit this site (http://www.power-of-attorneys.com/attorneys_unwritten_law.htm) and read all the points specially points 3-6.


This nanny was treated kindly and with respect, all throughout her several years of employment with this family in Oman and abroad. She became obsessed with money and wanted to settle down in USA. With the help of some individuals she managed to find a contingent fee attorney (those who take cases and get paid a portion of the damages or settlement awarded, in many instances rake in over 50% of the money received) where as the defendant (the Omani student) who was victimized had to pay $300 per hour for the lawyer fees to defend herself. The fee could mount up to several thousand dollars before it could reach the court. This is a reality, and the web site above will give more insight into how an innocent person can be victimized and lose several thousand dollars when faced with frivolous lawsuits.

In summary, an advice to Omani and GCC families and students when they take their nannies to certain part of the world, beware…!

Victom111, you've got a point and thanx for providing more information about this particular case. You seem to know quite a bit about what happened so there's no reason to doubt you. However, the point remains that maids in Oman and in the GCC in general are not treated well; or at least that's what I think. It's not fair to work someone for over 14-16 hours every day for as little as $100 in many cases. On top of that they're stripped of the freedom to make their own decision as adults (which they are). Of course there should be limits as to what their employers would be comfortable with them doing but their requirements are rarely taken into consideration. Maybe I was too hasty to judge the Omani family in this case but there's no denying that for every 'Nanny' that manages to successfully sue her employers, there'll be 1000s others who won't even manage to convince theirs to allow them one Friday off every fortnight or whatever.