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INDIA’S government demanded justice yesterday after an Indian maid working in Saudi Arabia had her right arm severed by her employer.
Kasthury Munirathnam from Tamil Nadu is in a serious condition in hospital after her boss maimed her in revenge for revealing the slavery-like conditions in which she was kept.
Her sister Vijayakumari said the mother of four “was forced to take up the job abroad as the family was facing financial problems after the marriage of her three daughters.” She said the employer had subjected her sister to mental and physical torture and refused to pay or even feed her.
As Saudi Arabia is hailed abroad for its ‘reforms,’ the reality for women inside the kingdom grows ever more repressive. On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, MARYAM ALDOSSARI argues it is time to stop applauding the illusion – and start listening to the women the state works hardest to silence
