Unveiling the Harrowing Realities : Kenyan Women Domestic Workers' Struggles for Freedom in Saudi Arabia
Media records
Abstract
- Abstract
- en Amidst economic challenges and soaring unemployment rates in Kenya, a significant number of young individuals have turned to migration in pursuit of temporary employment opportunities in Middle Eastern countries such as Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan. Facilitated by employment agents who broker deals with Gulf-based employers, many of these migrants, predominantly comprising women, undergo brief, clandestine training periods in secluded Kenyan locations before assuming roles as domestic workers in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia has emerged as a primary destination for Kenyan women seeking domestic employment within the region. However, this trend has brought attention to the prevalent issues of abuse and dehumanizing treatment faced by foreign workers in the Kingdom. This paper delves into the journey of Kenyan women transitioning to employment in Saudi Arabia, documenting their work experiences, prevailing conditions, and the endurance of these slave-like circumstances. Emphasis is placed on the plight of Kenyan women engaged in domestic labor within Saudi Arabia. Employing a descriptive research design, this paper scrutinizes the exploitation of Kenyan women in the Gulf, utilizing firsthand accounts from returned victims of labor exploitation alongside secondary sources such as books, articles, newspapers, and video interpretations. The study contends that the ordeals faced by Kenyan women in Saudi Arabia constitute a violation of their freedom from exploitation. Using the globalization theory, dependency theory, and neo-Marxist perspectives, the article posits that the kafala system, coupled with the failure of both Kenyan and Saudi Arabian governments to safeguard these migrant domestic workers, perpetuates this form of modern labor exploitation. Moreover, ineffective bilateral labor agreements between Kenya and Saudi Arabia exacerbate the situation. To combat this egregious exploitation, the paper recommends fostering a cohesive partnership between the Kenyan government, recruitment agencies, and Gulf-based embassies. This alliance aims to proactively address and eliminate the systemic factors contributing to the perpetuation of exploitation experienced by Kenyan women in Saudi Arabia.
- fr Face aux défis économiques et à la montée en flèche des taux de chômage au Kenya, un nombre important de jeunes se sont tournés vers la migration pour trouver des emplois temporaires dans des pays du Moyen-Orient tels que Dubaï, l'Arabie saoudite, le Qatar et la Jordanie. Aidés par des agents de placement qui négocient des contrats avec des employeurs basés dans le Golfe, nombre de ces migrants, essentiellement des femmes, suivent de brèves périodes de formation clandestine dans des endroits isolés du Kenya avant d'assumer des rôles d'employés de ménage dans le Golfe. L'Arabie saoudite est devenue la principale destination des femmes kenyanes à la recherche d'un emploi domestique dans la région. Toutefois, cette tendance a attiré l'attention sur les problèmes de maltraitance et de traitement déshumanisant auxquels sont confrontées les travailleuses étrangères dans le Royaume. Cet article se penche sur le parcours des femmes kenyanes en transition vers un emploi en Arabie Saoudite, en documentant leurs expériences de travail, les conditions qui prévalent et l'endurance de ces circonstances qui s'apparentent à l'esclavage. L'accent est mis sur le sort des femmes kenyanes employées comme domestiques en Arabie Saoudite. Utilisant un modèle de recherche descriptif, ce document examine l'exploitation des femmes kenyanes dans le Golfe, en utilisant des témoignages des victimes de l'exploitation, ainsi que des sources secondaires telles que des livres, des articles, des journaux et des interprétations de vidéos. L'étude révèle que les épreuves auxquelles sont confrontées les femmes kenyanes en Arabie Saoudite constituent une violation de leur droit à l’absence d’exploitation. S'appuyant sur la théorie de la mondialisation, la théorie de la dépendance et les perspectives néo-marxistes, l'article postule que le système de la kafala, associé à l'incapacité des gouvernements kenyan et saoudien à protéger ces travailleuses domestiques migrantes, perpétue cette forme d'exploitation moderne de la main-d'oeuvre. En outre, l'inefficacité des accords bilatéraux sur le travail entre le Kenya et l'Arabie saoudite ne fait qu'aggraver la situation. Pour lutter contre cette exploitation flagrante, le document recommande de favoriser un partenariat cohérent entre le gouvernement kenyan, les agences de recrutement et les ambassades basées dans le Golfe. Cette alliance vise à aborder et à éliminer de manière proactive les facteurs systémiques qui contribuent à la perpétuation de l'exploitation dont sont victimes les femmes kenyanes en Arabie saoudite.
Subjects
People & roles
- Authors
- Bosibori, Catheline N.
- Place of publication
- Bayreuth
Origins & context
- Title
- Unveiling the Harrowing Realities : Kenyan Women Domestic Workers' Struggles for Freedom in Saudi Arabia
- Publication type
- Working paper
- Language
- English
- Publisher
- Institute of African Studies
- Series
-
BIGSASworks!
Value Annotations
Value Annotations
- volume
- 20
- Date
- 2024
- Number in series
- 54
- pages
- VI, 24
- Number of pages
- 24
Identifiers & sources
Full text
- Full text
- 54 University of Bayreuth African Studies WORKING PAPERS Unveiling the Harrowing Realities Kenyan Women Domestic Workers' Struggles for Freedom in Saudi Arabia Catheline Bosibori N, 2024 works! 20 University of Bayreuth African Studies Working Papers (LIV) 54 University of Bayreuth African Studies WORKING PAPERS Unveiling the Harrowing Realities Kenyan Women Domestic Workers' Struggles for Freedom in Saudi Arabia CC-BY 4.0 Catheline Bosibori N, 2024 ii Unveiling the Harrowing Realities University of Bayreuth African Studies Working Papers (LIV) Institute of African Studies (IAS) The University of Bayreuth African Studies Working Papers are published by the Institute of African Studies (IAS) in Bayreuth, Germany. The IAS promotes African Studies at the University of Bayreuth by supporting scholars from a wide range of academic disciplines from almost all faculties. It facilitates cooperation between researchers and institutions engaged in Africa-related projects, as well as teaching, both on campus and around the world. The IAS consists of three central bodies: the Iwalewahaus, the Africa Multiple Cluster of Excellence, and the Africa Research Center (Forschungszentrum Afrika), which is currently under construction. The Working Papers give scholars the space to present empirical studies, theoretical reflections, and report preliminary findings, ongoing projects, and current research. The Working Papers usually reflect works-in-progress and invite discussion and feedback. Submitted papers are subject to internal review at the University of Bayreuth. Contributions may be submitted to the editor-in-chief: Dr. Malick Faye (IAS@uni-bayreuth.de) The University of Bayreuth African Studies Working Papers feature on the EPub document server at the university library: 2005 - 2018 https://epub.uni-bayreuth.de/view/series/Bayreuth_African_Studies_Working_Papers.html 2018 - ongoing https://epub.uni-… Read the full text about 10,607 words
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