In an article titled "Nafeek, the Sri Lankan Maid I Never Met," former Royal Saudi Navy commodore and former Saudi Royal Navy liaison officer at Pensacola Naval Air Station (1991-95) Abdulateef Al-Mulhim discusses the case of the death in Saudi Arabia of an infant at the hands of a Sri Lankan maid; the maid has been sentenced to death. While expressing his sorrow over the incident, he also mentions how difficult circumstances must have been for the maid, and asks King Abdallah to pardon "this very young and naive girl from Sri Lanka."
The following is his article, as it appeared in the original English:[1]
"I Felt So Sorry for the Parents of the Infant"
"When I first heard of the death of a Saudi infant at the hands of a Sri Lankan maid named Rizana Nafeek about four years ago, I looked at the word 'child abuse' and what it meant.
"I found out that 'child abuse' could come in any form and shape. A child could be abused by a maid, a stranger or a family member.
"I felt so sorry for the parents of the infant. And no matter how sorry I was and still am, there is no way that I could fathom their anger and grief. I hope they get over it. I write not as a Saudi siding with a Saudi but as a human being feeling terrible at the loss of an innocent infant. And I do pray to Allah to give them comfort and the infant in heaven."
"Because of Her Young Age, I Am Sure [This Maid] Had No Experience Whatsoever of How to Behave in Saudi Society Or [How] To Feed an Infant"
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"Later on, the tragedy became worse and the court found out that this poor Sri Lankan maid had to put an earlier birth date in her passport just to be able to travel and make whatever little money she could make to support her family. I cannot imagine how desperate she was to do something like this, but poverty can make you do anything.
"Of course, I do not know the details of the circumstances in which all this happened or the whole story.
"The Sri Lankan maid had spent a very short time in the Kingdom before the death of the infant, and because of her young age, I am sure she had no experience whatsoever of how to behave in Saudi society or [how] to feed an infant. It takes a long time to be adjusted to a life in a different country and with a different family.
"I tasted homesickness when I was going to schools in the U.S., even though I was living in the best places, and I know this because at that time I did have two Indonesian maids, though my family never called them maids. We considered them part of the family. And when they first came we gave them time to adjust and to overcome culture shocks and to get over the homesickness. When my wife and the two Indonesian ladies felt comfortable with each other and all parties knew how to communicate, then we gave them some responsibilities in the house.
"As for taking care of infants, it is a totally different story. Raising infants, children and teenagers is not a part-time job. It is a full-time job where you should be available at all hours of the day.
"It is very important that the parents not only love their children, but enjoy being with them and enjoy raising them."
"I Would Like, As a Very Humble Saudi, to Beg Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdallah to Give Pardon to This Very Young and Naive Girl from Sri Lanka"
"Looking at this heartbreaking case with questions about the age of the young maid and the very short time during which all this happened, I would like, as a very humble Saudi, to beg Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdallah to give pardon to this very young and naive girl from Sri Lanka. Let her be free and return home to be reunited with her family.
"I would also ask the parents of the dead infant to forgive this poor young girl of whatever wrong she did. I really do express the deepest and sincere sympathy to you. I pray to Allah to give you comfort and reward you with heaven.
"As for the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), it is very important to be more responsible in choosing people to work abroad. They should send the right people. They should also ensure that the workers selected possess duly authenticated documents to vouch for their personal details such as age and experience."
[1] Arab News (Saudi Arabia), October 30, 2010. The text has been very lightly edited for clarity.
