Cases of housemaids fleeing from their employers have raised concerns due to the impact on citizens’ daily lives, largely driven by deceptive labor recruitment offices and brokers who entice domestic workers with promises of high-paying jobs in restaurants, cafés, and gyms. Lawyers have emphasized the importance of taking immediate action if a housemaid runs away.

Key steps include promptly filing an absence report and consulting the Labor Recruitment Department at the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM). If the housemaid has worked for less than six months, the recruitment office is required to refund the recruitment fees and the cost of return tickets. Citizens also have the right to file a civil suit for damages, with claims up to KD500.

Security sources have warned against harboring or employing runaway housemaids, as many have breached Residency and Labor laws. Those who shelter or cover up for such workers may face legal repercussions. Citizens and residents are urged to cooperate with security agencies to help resolve these issues.

In response, PAM has established a procedure for handling cases where domestic workers leave their employers without notice. The process begins with filing an absence report at a citizen service center affiliated with the Ministry of Interior, followed by a complaint to the Department of Regulating the Recruitment of Domestic Workers at PAM. If the worker has been employed for less than six months, the recruitment office must compensate the employer for recruitment fees and the return ticket. If the sponsorship period has expired, the complaint will be forwarded to the judiciary to determine compensation and responsibility for the return ticket.

Security sources have stressed the importance of quickly reporting fraudulent labor recruitment offices and cooperating with security authorities. They also cautioned against engaging with unlicensed agencies that advertise domestic workers for hourly rates on various media platforms, including social networking sites, as these are often scams. Employers are advised to deal only with licensed offices approved by the Ministry of Interior to avoid falling victim to fraudulent transactions. A joint team from the Residency Affairs Investigation General Department and the Residency Affairs General Department is actively monitoring fake and illegal advertisements to take appropriate legal action against those responsible.