Urgent action needed to protect ‘dying’ Kenyan domestic workers in Gulf, say rights groups

In a mock-up of an Arabic household, women learn housekeeping skills to prepare them for work in Saudi Arabia at the East African Institute of Homecare Management near Nairobi. Photograph: Joost Bastmeijer/The Guardian

Rights groups have expressed concern that not enough has been done to address the alleged mistreatment of domestic workers in Gulf states, such as Saudi Arabia, after the Kenyan government moved to secure work opportunities abroad for its citizens.

“This is a matter of grave public interest,” said John Mwariri, a lawyer at Kituo cha Sheria, a legal aid organisation. “Many of our Kenyan citizens have been abused and are dying there. There is an urgent need for protections.”