Dubai housewife jailed for sustained abuse of maid

The Jordanian woman would use scissors, knives, her teeth or even pour boiling water over the maid as a form of punishment.

DUBAI // A housewife has been sent to jail for a year after she was found guilty of biting her maid, shoving scissors in her ears and pouring boiling water over her as punishment.

The Jordanian, 33, was jailed for a physical assault that caused the Indonesian maid a permanent disability, as she lost hearing in one ear.

The 28-year-old victim said she had worked for the housewife since 2013 and was subjected to various forms of abuse.

“For any mistake, she would hit me with her hands, a knife, scissors, sticks and sometimes bite me, pull my hair and other times pour boiling water on my body. I came to this country in good health and now I return home with a disability. I just want to go home,” she told judges.

She lost hearing in her left ear after her head was banged against a wall and the maid was often locked in her room to stop her from running away. However, in January last year she managed to escape to the Indonesian consulate in Dubai.

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“She arrived on a Thursday and said she ran away because her boss was abusing her physically and didn’t even give her any wages for the time she worked at her house,” said a member of staff at the consulate.

The maid was taken to Rashid Hospital for treatment. Bruises, burn marks and other signs of abuse were found on her body and head, as well as bite marks on her shoulders.

The defendant, who had pleaded not guilty, told prosecutors that she locked up the maid at night because she feared for her children. She said she had not paid her since June but that wages had been on time before then.

The housewife will be deported after serving her jail term.