Beitrag vom 01.06.2023

The Africa Report

HUMAN RIGHTS?

Ethiopia: New scheme to export maids to Saudi Arabia after ban due to rights abuses lifted
By Samuel Getachew

Ethiopia has started a scheme to send 500,000 house maids to Saudi Arabia, swallowing its concerns over human rights abuses in a bid to tackle depressed foreign currency reserves and inject vitality into key economic sectors.

Last month, the Ethiopian Disaster Risk Management government office declared the end of an assisted repatriation of Ethiopian migrants’ programme, which had brought home more than 130,000 citizens.

The move followed depressing images of Ethiopian citizens who had been subjected to cruel abuse in Saudi Arabia jails and homes, intensifying pressure on the central government in Addis Ababa to act swiftly.

Black market

The new plan, which began in April, seeks to have all workers sent through a new arrangement between the governments of Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia to stimulate sluggish economic growth.

It will require all salaries to be sent to local Ethiopian banks and have all government-sponsored domestic workers paid in Ethiopian Birr exclusively, a maneuver that will stem the parallel black market, which is commonly used across the country.

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