[rowneigerie]

Indonesian maid found in Saudi dumpster was killed by boss

The Jakarta Globe, AP
Published Nov 20 2010

In another tragic maid abuse case in Saudi Arabia, Indonesian domestic worker, Kikim Komalasari, 36, was killed by her boss and her body thrown into a dumpster. Her neck was slashed and she had severe cuts to the rest of her body, reports The Jakarta Globe.

"It's shocking to hear this... It's beyond inhumane,' said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Indonesia has demanded that the Saudi authorities investigate the death of Kikim who was allegedly killed by her employers and whose body was thrown into a dumpster - the second case of maid abuse involving Saudi employers this week.



Activists demonstrate outside the Saudi Arabia embassy in Jakarta
President Susilo spoke to reporters after attending a Cabinet meeting convened to discuss how the government can protect the thousands of Indonesians who head to the Middle East in search of work. Too many, human rights groups say, face slavery-like conditions, sexual abuse and even death.

An Indonesian lawmaker, Rieke Diah Pitaloka, expressed anger over the death of Kikim. She and activists from Migrant Care Indonesia held a protest outside the Saudi Embassy in Jakarta yesterday. A banner carried by one of the protesters read, 'Saudi Arabia: Cruelty to Humanity'.

Indonesia's Labour Minister Muhaimin Iskandar said an embassy team had been dispatched to the Saudi town of Abha to look into allegations that Kikim was killed by her employers. Earlier, another abused Indonesian maid, Sumiati Salan Mustapa has been hospitalized in the Saudi city of Medina since Nov 8. The 23-year-old’s employers allegedly burned her, broke her middle finger and cut her lips with scissors.