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The Saudi Ministry of Labor announced on September 17 that it will open up new immigration channels for foreign house-workers, including housekeepers and drivers from Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Yemen.
The Saudi News Agency quoted the Deputy Minister of Labor, Mafrj Al-Haqbani, who said that his ministry has taken this action after it suspended hiring house-workers from other countries for “laying difficult terms affecting the Saudi citizens’ privacy.”
He added that the ministry is working on procedures which guarantee the rights of the employer, employee and recruitment offices.
However, this action by the Saudis has created commotion and debate among Yemenis. They are divided between those who support the decision and those who oppose it on the grounds that it clashes with the Yemeni cultural tradition that bans women from working as housekeepers.
"Sorry, Saudi people, but Yemen does not produce and export housekeepers,” said Adnan, a Yemeni commentator. “Yemen is a land of civilization, pride and dignity, wisdom and faith. Yemen is the root and the origin of the Arabs, so how can a country with such credit accept this insult of its women? No, and thousand times, no," he added at the end of a story published on the online Saudi newspaper, Al-Watan.
Because of the discontent vocalized by some Yemenis regarding the decision, the Saudi Minister of Labor, Adel Al-Faqih, explained on September 18 via the social networking site Facebook that the terms of the house-workers decision permit the recruiting only of Yemeni men.
