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Minister Finally In Saudi Arabia to Help Abused Maid
Jakarta Globe | November 27, 2010

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mns_ent
9:41am Nov 27, 2010

Visa complications??

With such urgent matter, you'd think the Saudi Arabia Embassy would expedite anything that this Minister needed...

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Jakarta. After a delayed departure due to visa complications, the women’s empowerment minister arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday to meet with an Indonesian migrant worker whose abuse has caused outrage back home.

A ministry spokesman, Ferdy Ferdiansyah, said the visit by Minister Linda Gumelar was to ensure that Sumiati was receiving proper medical care for her injuries and that legal action against her employers was moving forward.

Sumiati, a domestic worker, suffered horrific abuse, allegedly at the hands of her employers, over a period of three months. She is being treated at King Fahd Hospital in Medina.

The minister also met with Sumiati’s lawyer, Saud Awad Al Hujaili, from the Islamic and Civilian Law Consultation Office, who assured Gumelar that justice would be served in Sumiati’s case.

He also asked Gumelar for a certified Arabic translation of the patient’s medical records prior to her arrival in Saudi Arabia.

The minister, according to Ferdy, asked Al Hujaili to handle the case professionally and in a timely manner, and said that all investigations should be coordinated with the Indonesian Consulate in Jeddah, which should also receive regular updates on the progress.

Gumelar brought Sumiati cake and mangos, which were immediately enjoyed by the migrant worker, according to a ministry release. It added that Sumiati was evidently improving and in stable condition.

Doctors at the hospital have already begun performing plastic surgery on Sumiati’s badly injured head, with further surgeries planned to repair damage to her nose, lips, teeth and ears.

All of the costs will be borne by the hospital.

During her stay, Gumelar will lead the interministerial team that arrived in Medina a day prior to her visit.

The team includes the state ministry’s deputy for women’s protection, the director of the Indonesian citizens protection unit at the Foreign Ministry, the director of protection and advocacy at the National Board for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Overseas Workers (BNP2TKI), and an official from the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry.

The Saudi Gazette reported on Friday that Al Hujaili told Gumelar that Sumiati’s case may take between four and 12 months to resolves, depending on how things progress in court.

The newspaper also reported that the Saudi Investigation and Prosecution Bureau had formally charged Sumiati’s employer, who was not identified, and had sent her to the General Prison in Medina.

“[Sumiati’s] body was burned in many places, both legs were almost paralyzed, some parts of the skin of her head were removed and there were scars on her body, including skin loss on her lips and head, a fractured middle finger and a cut near her eye,” the newspaper reported.