For decades, human rights violations committed by employers against foreign house workers in Middle Eastern countries have been reported on a regular basis, urging changes in employment laws.
The latest violation was of 19-years old Beatrice Waruguru, a Kenyan citizen, who had arrived in the Gulf country several years ago to work for a Saudi family.
Postmortem on Beatrice Waruguru, 21, who died in Saudi Arabia shows she was strangled and starved to death, eyes also gouged out; family demands justice. pic.twitter.com/z3g2MQw6Gn
— The Standard Digital (@StandardKenya) May 13, 2022
However, Beatrice Waruguru had repeatedly told her friends back home that she was tortured by her Saudi employers. In response, she was advised to seek help at the nearest police station or mosque, Kenya's Nation reported.
The Kenyan newspapers also report that Beatrice Waruguru, whose age was changed in official papers to 21 to enable her of working abroad, had died of her injuries in May 2021, but her death was not reported until last September. Her body was only transferred to Nairobi from Saudi Arabia in May 2022, a whole year after she passed away.
Beatrice Waruguru died a painful death, funny thing ,people are still going to such countries after seeing such incidents, not once.
Such agencies should be questioned for the demises. It hurts all my body..— Leo Officiel (@Leon_Ongiri) May 14, 2022
Official papers that accompanied Beatrice Waruguru's body states that she died following head injuries.
Medical reports conducted in Saudi Arabia also showed that Waruguru had "some incisions on both sides of her neck and front as well as limited swelling on her forehead".
Moreover, post-mortem documents reported by Nation explained that she "had a blood spill on the scalp that may have occurred as a result of being hit with a solid object of any kind".
The reason why Africans will continue to be exploited like this is because we are poor and divided. One country on its own cannot pressure these rich powerful countries. But if we unite and speak with one voice we will have power to be heard & initiate change.
— macus101 (@macusmukombe101) May 19, 2022
In response, online people condemned the news and urged Saudi authorities to abolish the Kafala employment system and ensure better protection for foreign workers in Saudi households, particularly as this is not the first incident to result in death.
