Female Filipino Workers Subjected to Abuse and Exploitation in Saudi Arabian Homes

Author: Aahana Negwakar

July 16, 2026

HRRC condemns the abuse and sexual harassment of Filipino women working in households across Saudi Arabia. HRRC also calls upon the Saudi Arabian government to address the exploitation of foreign nationals and migrant workers, and to take immediate action against the perpetrators to prevent this process from continuing. 

[Image Credit: DMYA]

According to 19 different documented experiences of Filipino women working in Saudi Arabian homes across the past three years, employer contracts go completely invalid the second they arrive in the country, leaving them at the mercy of their employers. As reported by Amnesty International, workers were often forced into labor with no breaks, poor conditions, and no days off. Upon entry, passports were confiscated, legal contracts were violated, and workers were forced into dependency on their employers due to minimal information about the language and customs within the country. 

Several women further described the sexual harassment and abuse they endured during their employment. Some were stripped for inspection before leaving the house, while others were sexually assaulted by their male employers. 

While the Amnesty International report urged for federal intervention by Saudi Arabia, the government has responded by stating that, “Domestic workers are protected under existing regulations and any allegations of abuse are taken seriously and investigated." Unfortunately, these current regulations are not enough. 

Domestic workers are still excluded from the national labor law across Saudi Arabia. This exclusion enables the exploitation of innocent women that are forced to take on these jobs under the pressure of earning enough money to help their families survive back home. In fact, elements of this exploitation process come from the now abolished kafala system, which binds a migrant worker's residency and employment status to a single employer. 

Ultimately, current safeguards are not effective in protecting domestic laborers, meaning that these women continue to live in constant fear and imminent danger. In order to improve their conditions, the Saudi Arabian government must make serious changes to current legislation, making it inclusive towards any and all laborers. 

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Glossary

• Confiscate – to seize by or as if by authority

• Exploitation – use or utilization, especially for profit with malicious intent

• Imminent – likely to occur at any moment

• Invalid – not founded in truth, fact, or logic, and hence weak and indefensible

• Malicious – evil intent on the part of a person who commits a wrongful act injurious to others

• Residency – the place, especially the house, in which a person lives or resides; dwelling; home

• Safeguard – something that serves as a protection or defense or that ensures safety