28 Indian maids held in Doha

They include the 22 other maids who were rounded up by the law-enforcing agencies.

Twenty-eight Indian domestic helps are currently detained at the deportation centre in Qatar, capital of Doha.

HT Image

They include the 22 maids who were rounded up by the law-enforcing agencies since they were declared absconding by their sponsors and were working elsewhere, local news reports said.

The problems facing housemaids have again raised the importance of tough action by the Indian Government to prevent malpractices by recruiting agents.

According to an official Indian assessment, there are an estimated three million Indians working in Gulf countries, with more than half from Kerala.

Although housemaids constitute a small fraction among these workers, they are the worst affected because of maltreatment, overwork, sexual harassment, unpaid salaries and physical assault by their employers, according to community workers.