Saudis and their maids: is there a pattern?

[Puppycow]

Came across two separate news stories today about Saudis abusing their maids. Coincidence?

First case:
Saudi maid verdict 'outrageous' (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7415290.stm)

Human Rights Watch has called on Saudi judges to overturn a decision to drop charges against a Saudi couple accused of severely abusing an Indonesian maid.

A judge in Riyadh awarded $670 damages to the maid, Nour Miyati, but dropped all charges against her employers.

The female employer, who admitted the abuse and was originally sentenced to 35 lashes, had her sentence overturned.

Human Rights Watch said the ruling on Monday was "outrageous", and sent "a dangerous message" to Saudi employers.

Ms Miyati, 25, contracted gangrene after allegedly being tied up for a month and left without food in 2005. She had to have several fingers and toes amputated.

$670 in damages? She had gangrene! Limbs had to be amputated!

Second case:
Saudi couple "hammer 24 nails" into Sri Lankan maid (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67P17420100826?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a49:g43:r1:c 0.182131:b36846794:z0)

"The landlord and the wife of the landlord hammered 24 nails into her when she complained of the heavy workload," Kalyana Priya Ramanayake, media secretary of the Foreign Employment Bureau, told Reuters.

Ariyawathi has been taken to hospital for surgery to remove the nails, which according to the maid were hammered in when they were hot.

X-rays showed one- to two-inch nails in her hands and legs, with one over her eyes, officials said.

Apparently she didn't even try to report this before returning to her own country. It's not clear if the Saudis will take any meaningful action on this one either.

[WildCat]

Saudi Arabia didn't abolish slavery until 1962... not that it actually went away.

[bozothedeathmachine]

Came across two separate news stories today about Saudis abusing their maids. Coincidence?

It ain't only the Saudis. Recall Gaddafi's son and daughter-in-law getting arrested for beating a maid in Switzerland. Which summarily lead to him requesting the UN to "abolish" Switzerland (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1210936/Now-Colonel-Gaddafi-wants-abolish-Switzerland-Dictator-files-bizarre-motion-U-N.html).

Maybe it's less of a cultural thing and more of just a douchebag-with-a-sense-of-entitlement thing.

[WildCat]

Maybe it's less of a cultural thing and more of just a douchebag-with-a-sense-of-entitlement thing.
These are not isolated cases.
Last year, at least 2,800 Sri Lankan housemaids ran away from their Saudi sponsors, claiming they had been overworked, sexually abused or physically mistreated by jealous wives. They are among the countless foreign "guest workers" in Saudi Arabia who live and work under conditions that are sometimes compared to modern-day slavery.

"The world must know about this," says Mohamed Sakoor, a Sri Lankan driver and translator who works at Riyadh's international airport. He shares a roach-and-rat-infested shed, just 8 feet by 10 feet, with three other men hired by two rich Saudi brothers.

...No foreigner can work in the kingdom without a Saudi sponsor, who typically provides accommodations and pays travel expenses, including a trip home every one or two years. In most cases, the sponsor holds the employee's passport, and an employee cannot leave the country or change jobs without the sponsor's permission.

...Foreign housemaids have had so many problems in Saudi Arabia that India no longer lets its citizens work here as maids.
http://www.sptimes.com/2002/webspecials02/saudiarabia/day3/story1.shtml

Doesn't look like much has changed since that 2002 article.

[Professor Yaffle]

Slavery a bit closer to home:


Somalatha arrived in Britain when she was 29 with a family for whom she had been working in Jordan. Her job was to be a maid. She had to work 16 to 18 hours a day, for which she was paid £200 a month. In the first two years, she was not given one day off.

She was not allowed to eat with the family and had to wait for leftovers. If there were none, she was advised to eat onions and potatoes. If any food was missing, she was automatically blamed for it, or even punished.
Somalatha had to sleep on a sofa-bed in the sitting room, where she was disturbed by anyone who came in late. Friday nights were especially difficult since the teenage children would come home late at night and bring their friends, which would prevent her from sleeping.
Her employer deliberately let Somalatha's visa expire. Since she was without a visa, she could not run away. She kept asking for a letter from her employer so she could apply to renew her visa but this was refused.

...snip...

Somalatha was rescued by one of Anti-Slavery International's partner organisations, Kalayaan, which runs a community centre offering advice on immigration and employment law. But many others still suffer. A survey of Kalayaan's clients showed that 75 per cent reported psychological abuse and more than a third were physically abused.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/slavery-in-the-uk-429939.html

[Cainkane1]

I've read that slavery exists in saudi Arabia and that they actually buy women from chad who are sold as maids and concubines. They also recruit women from the Philipines who end up working in slave like conditions.

Being poor, uneducated, non muslim and female is no picnic for a woman in the middle east.

[Bikewer]

In one of those "ripped from the headlines" cases on a Law & Order episode, a ring of wealthy New Yorkers was found to be importing laborers from impoverished 3rd-world countries to work in conditions similar to what was described above.
Not being tortured, at least, but 18-hour days, primitive accomodations, no social life, no school....
I think the actual cases came to light a couple of years prior to the episode being aired.

[Jeff Corey]

In one of those "ripped from the headlines" cases on a Law & Order episode, a ring of wealthy New Yorkers was found to be importing laborers from impoverished 3rd-world countries to work in conditions similar to what was described above.
Not being tortured, at least, but 18-hour days, primitive accomodations, no social life, no school....
I think the actual cases came to light a couple of years prior to the episode being aired.

Possibly this case, very near where I work. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1837809.ece

[Polaris]

Being poor, uneducated, non muslim and female is no picnic for a woman in the middle east.

It's frequently no picnic for the well-off, educated, Muslim females there either.

[WildCat]

Slavery a bit closer to home:


http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/slavery-in-the-uk-429939.html
So why the hell haven't those people been tried? Were they even reported? I fully expected this story to end like this: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7476927.stm

[Morrigan]

From that article:

Lawyers for the accused had argued that the housekeepers practised witchcraft and may have abused themselves.
Wait... what? We're talking about lawyers defending accused citizens of New York city in 2008 here? They used that as an actual argument? :eek: :boggled:

...No foreigner can work in the kingdom without a Saudi sponsor, who typically provides accommodations and pays travel expenses, including a trip home every one or two years. In most cases, the sponsor holds the employee's passport, and an employee cannot leave the country or change jobs without the sponsor's permission.

This is so fked up. But then again, it's Saudi Arabia, is there anything that isn't fked up over there? Guh.

[Skeptic Ginger]

I think it's been established that human nature can result in some people being real a-holes when they have power over other human beings. It's not something confined to any single ethnic group that I am aware of. But I would imagine the longer one has such power, and the more absolute that power over another is, the more likely worse abuse would be to occur.

Stanford prison experiment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_prison_experiment)

[Adam Ferguson]

For those in the UK channel 4 is showing a drama about this on Monday;

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/i-am-slave/episode-guide/series-1/episode-1

Based on the autobiography of a slave in London.

[Beerina]

I think it's been established that human nature can result in some people being real a-holes when they have power over other human beings.

Hence the importance of a government of limited, enumerated powers and none others.

What's that old saying? If you think people are basically good, you don't need much government. If you think they're basically evil, you don't dare have government.

[Morrigan]

Oh cute, Beerina pushing his libertarian agenda in a totally unrelated thread again. :rolleyes:

[Kevin_Lowe]

Hence the importance of a government of limited, enumerated powers and none others.

What's that old saying? If you think people are basically good, you don't need much government. If you think they're basically evil, you don't dare have government.

Hey, I have a really good idea. You can start your own thread about that! Then you can stop trying to derail this one.

[Skeptic]

I think it's been established that human nature can result in some people being real a-holes when they have power over other human beings. It's not something confined to any single ethnic group that I am aware of.

Yes, but the more forgiving society is to it, the more often it is done. There are a few such cases in Britain a year; 2800 a year in Saudi Arabia -- and that's just those who actually run away.

[ixolite]

In one of those "ripped from the headlines" cases on a Law & Order episode, a ring of wealthy New Yorkers was found to be importing laborers from impoverished 3rd-world countries to work in conditions similar to what was described above.
Not being tortured, at least, but 18-hour days, primitive accomodations, no social life, no school....
I think the actual cases came to light a couple of years prior to the episode being aired.
I remember that episode, about people who adopted children from Haiti who then had to work for them.

Here is the case it was referring to:
http://www.amren.com/news/news04/03/25/haitianslave.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restavec

[fuelair]

[QUOTE=Morrigan;6272549]From that article:


Wait... what? We're talking about lawyers defending accused citizens of New York city in 2008 here? They used that as an actual argument? :eek: :boggled:

QUOTE]

Just another reason I am not a big fan of lawyers or the legal system as she are set up to run. Point 1) lawyers should not be able to cover up any evidence that points to guilt and should be indictible and imprisoned for concealing any evidence /not reporting it that proves guilt.:mad::mad:

I have no problem protecting the innocent or making sure the client is protected from random accusations made without due process, but.........

[funk de fino]

Big issue in Malaysia also.

[funk de fino]

While still a craphole and the among worst places I have ever visited, Saudi has changed immensely in the 20 years I have been visiting. It only really opened up to the western world after oil was discovered. It will continue to change but a slower rate than all of us would like. Many people from immature countries make me laugh with their continued and uninformed criticisms of other nations. It's like the 5 year old in the playground saying be could knock out the teacher.

Stroll on

[WildCat]

While still a craphole and the among worst places I have ever visited, Saudi has changed immensely in the 20 years I have been visiting. It only really opened up to the western world after oil was discovered. It will continue to change but a slower rate than all of us would like. Many people from immature countries make me laugh with their continued and uninformed criticisms of other nations. It's like the 5 year old in the playground saying be could knock out the teacher.

Stroll on
Yes, how dare anyone question the Saudi refusal to give domestic workers the protections of labor laws and for having hundreds of thousands of borderline slaves.

We uneducated morons from the backwaters need sophisticate like you from a mature country to tell us that slavery isn't so bad after all, it's all nuance.

[funk de fino]

Yes, how dare anyone question the Saudi refusal to give domestic workers the protections of labor laws and for having hundreds of thousands of borderline slaves.

I question it for all nations, not just muslims, like a lot of the usual bigots here.

We uneducated morons from the backwaters need sophisticate like you from a mature country to tell us that slavery isn't so bad after all, it's all nuance.

Lie much?

[WildCat]

I question it for all nations, not just muslims, like a lot of the usual bigots here.
This is a thread about Saudi Arabia and how domestic workers live in virtual slavery, and how this is sanctioned by Saudi law.

I don't see asnyone defending such practices from Muslim or non-Muslim countries... except for you of course.

Lie much?
Hey, you're the one who said he laughed at us ignorant people from "immature countries" who dared to criticize modern-day slavery in Saudi Arabia.

[funk de fino]

This is a thread about Saudi Arabia and how domestic workers live in virtual slavery, and how this is sanctioned by Saudi law.

And this is the only country that does it? No, it is not. I named another, maybe you missed that eh? Can you source the law?

I don't see asnyone defending such practices from Muslim or non-Muslim countries... except for you of course.

I am ot defending it, you are lying again. I seriously think you are on the sauce.

Hey, you're the one who said he laughed at us ignorant people from "immature countries" who dared to criticize modern-day slavery in Saudi Arabia.

Try reading my post again. See where I mentioned Saudi. Link it.

[Cainkane1]

Came across two separate news stories today about Saudis abusing their maids. Coincidence?

First case:
Saudi maid verdict 'outrageous' (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7415290.stm)



$670 in damages? She had gangrene! Limbs had to be amputated!

Second case:
Saudi couple "hammer 24 nails" into Sri Lankan maid (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67P17420100826?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a49:g43:r1:c 0.182131:b36846794:z0)



Apparently she didn't even try to report this before returning to her own country. It's not clear if the Saudis will take any meaningful action on this one either.
What we may be seeing is an overall disrespect for women. Women born and raised in Islam are mistreated but since they are Muslims they do get a degree of respect that non muslim women do not.

Its bad enough to be born female in Islamic culture even if the woman is a muslim. When some foreign lady come in the disrespect really kicks in.

Having said that I must also say this. I work off and on on a loading dock. A married Muslim lady named Ousma works there also making packages to be mailed out. Its obvious that her husband loves the ground she walks on. His name which I cannot pronounce much less spell kinda sounds like Groucho. He looks like Grouch marx mustache and all. He is aware of the similarity and he tries to walk like Groucho.

He is a great man to be around. All muslims aren't mean like the Saudis in the OP.

[funk de fino]

He is a great man to be around. All muslims aren't mean like the Saudis in the OP.

Do not say that too loudly around here.

[WildCat]

And this is the only country that does it? No, it is not. I named another, maybe you missed that eh?
Are domestic workers exempted from Malaysian labor laws?

Can you source the law?
It's not a law, it's an exemption to the laws. Domestic workers in Saudi Arabia are not protected by Saudi labor laws. Beating your maid is looked at the same way as beating your wife, which in SA is no big deal.

I am ot defending it, you are lying again. I seriously think you are on the sauce.
You made excuses for it, and said anyone who disagreed with you must be uninformed jokers from "immature countries".

Try reading my post again. See where I mentioned Saudi. Link it.
This is a thread about maid abuse in Saudi Arabia. If you don't wish to discuss maid abuse in Saudi Arabia then this thread isn't for you.

But what do I know? I'm just an uninformed person from an immature country who makes you laugh for criticizing slavery in Saudi Arabia.

[Kevin_Lowe]

I am ot defending it, you are lying again. I seriously think you are on the sauce.

Wildcat knows what fight he wants to pick. Whether or not you are actually saying the things he wants to pick a fight about is neither here nor there.

[funk de fino]

Are domestic workers exempted from Malaysian labor laws?

Mistreatment is the issue.

It's not a law, it's an exemption to the laws. Domestic workers in Saudi Arabia are not protected by Saudi labor laws. Beating your maid is looked at the same way as beating your wife, which in SA is no big deal.

Thats not what you said is it WC?

You made excuses for it, and said anyone who disagreed with you must be uninformed jokers from "immature countries".

No, I never. Another lie. I made a comment on Saudi in general. Idefended nothing or excused anything. More lies.

This is a thread about maid abuse in Saudi Arabia. If you don't wish to discuss maid abuse in Saudi Arabia then this thread isn't for you.

I was discussing maid abuse. I said it happened in oither countries also.

But what do I know? I'm just an uninformed person from an immature country who makes you laugh for criticizing slavery in Saudi Arabia.

If you say so, your lies are funnier.

[Mycroft]

Hey, you're the one who said he laughed at us ignorant people from "immature countries" who dared to criticize modern-day slavery in Saudi Arabia.

To be fair to Funk, the immature country he was talking about was Saudi Arabia, not the US. He was saying he was laughing at their uninformed criticisms of other countries, meaning the West.

[Skeptic Ginger]

Yes, but the more forgiving society is to it, the more often it is done. There are a few such cases in Britain a year; 2800 a year in Saudi Arabia -- and that's just those who actually run away.I don't know about your numbers, it's so rare you bother supporting them with any citations, but I can say that without a denominator you have nothing.

How many people in each country have foreign maids?


Then you have the problem of comparing the other variables.....

[Foolmewunz]

Foreign Domestic Helper (the proper term - but "amah" is most commonly used) abuse is rampant in Asia.

Malaysia's gotten the most attention recently, but the governments in the Philippines and Indonesia periodically forbid their foreign workers to accept employment in location x when there are serious cases of abuse that the governments won't deal with.

Malaysia has revamped their laws and actually jailed a lady this year. They also have a law that anyone guilty of abusing a domestic helper can be banned for life from ever again employing one. (I have no idea how or if that's enforced.)

There have been some nasty casesof abuse in Taiwan and there's a sort of Amah's union there that fights for their rights.

Hong Kong has very strict laws, and you're required to register your contract with the government - with the employee being mandated days off per week, home leave - at your expense, and specific clarification of the duties the worker is expected to perform, their living conditions, how they'll be fed (you can either feed them yourself or allow them a food allowance), etc... Even with all of that, we have complaints - serious complaints - hitting the paper all the time. We're not allowed to withold their passports, but some employers still try it.

But - while Hong Kong and Singapore are the two most desirable locations because of the clear rules, the governments in both do obscenely petty things from time to time. During the post-SARS economic crisis, for instance, they lowered the minimum wage by about $50 a month. An absurd and petty minded move, mostly based on "because we can". The background thinking seeming to be, "Hey, just because the economy is trashed we shouldn't have to do without our servants."

[MikeMangum]

Saudi Arabia didn't abolish slavery until 1962... not that it actually went away.

And there are still occasional public debates about the institution of slavery.

When someone whom a society considers to have been the "perfect man" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Ins%C4%81n_al-K%C4%81mil)( who is to be emulated in all things) kept slaves...and when that society's religion explicitly condones slavery, it is not surprising that there is no cultural revulsion to the practice.


ETA:
http://www.brandeis.edu/projects/fse/Pages/islamandslavery.html
The issue of slavery in Muslim societies is not purely historical but has lingering contemporary effects, especially in certain parts of Africa and the Gulf states. Some majority Muslim nations – Saudi Arabia, for example – were among the last to outlaw slavery in the twentieth century. Vestigial effects of domestic slavery still exist in certain Gulf nations in the failure of police and lawmakers to protect immigrant household workers against potential abuses by employers. Women employed as maids and nannies have little recourse against sexual coercion or harsh beatings; in some cases, those who have escaped and sought refuge with police have been forcibly returned to their employers. (http://www.humanrightswatch.org) It is important to note that these women are not legally enslaved, and they generally receive compensation for their work that differentiates their situation from that of those in debt bondage. However, because of the acceptance of controls on their mobility (employers often take their passports), and the refusal of law enforcement officials to respond to complaints of maltreatment, they are particularly vulnerable to abuse.

In some African nations, actual slavery continues. Repeated attempts to outlaw slavery in Mauritania have had little effect. The most recent declaration of abolition, in 1980, has been largely ineffective, with 90,000 black Mauritanians remaining essentially enslaved to Arab/Berber owners. (www.iabolish.com/today/background/mauritania.htm) In the Sudan, Christian captives in the ongoing civil war are often enslaved, and female prisoners are often used sexually, with their Muslim captors claiming that Islamic law grants them permission. (http://www.iabolish.com/today/background/sudan.htm)

The existence of actual and quasi-slavery is by no means unique to the Muslim world; slavery and slavery-like practices are found in numerous nations world-wide. Further, they are not found everywhere in the Muslim world; there specific socio-economic and political factors that help to account for their existence. Still, the claiming of religious justification for slaveholding in some of these cases makes them particularly urgent to address.

[The Central Scrutinizer]

Second case:
Saudi couple "hammer 24 nails" into Sri Lankan maid (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67P17420100826?loomia_ow=t0:s0:a49:g43:r1:c 0.182131:b36846794:z0)

Apparently she didn't even try to report this before returning to her own country. It's not clear if the Saudis will take any meaningful action on this one either.

Looks like the authorities have nailed the suspects: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/08/30/sri.lanka.maid.assault/index.html?hpt=T2

[luchog]

A related issue. According to the US State Department's 2010 Trafficking in Persons Report (http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2010/index.htm), Saudi Arabia has consistently remained in a Tier 3 status for 8 of the past 10 years, dropping to Tier 2 only briefly in 2003-2004. Tier 3 is a status shared by only 12 other nations.

Per the report, Tier 3 consists of "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so". Per the CIA World FActbook: "Countries in this tier are subject to potential non-humanitarian and non-trade sanctions."

Other countries that share Tier 3 status are Burma (Myanmar), North Korea, Papau New Guinea, Iran, Kuwait, Eritrea, Sudan, Congo, Zimbabwe, Mauritania, Dominican Republic, and Cuba.

By comparison, nearly all developed, First World countries are Tier 1, with the exception of Switzerland, Portugal, and Japan, who are Tier 2. The vast majority of African and Asian countries are Tier 2 or Tier 2 Watch (an intermediate status between 2 and 3 which typically indicates improvement from a lower status); and Eastern Europe is mostly Tier 2.

Saudi Arabia is unique on this list in that it is a almost exclusively a destination country, rather than a country of origin or transit for human trafficking, or where human trafficking is predominantly internal.

From the report:
Saudi Arabia is a destination country for men and women subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced labor. Men and women from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, and many other countries voluntarily travel to Saudi Arabia as domestic servants or other low-skilled laborers, but some subsequently face conditions indicative of involuntary servitude, including restrictions on movement and communication, the withholding of passports and other travel documents, threats, physical or sexual abuse, and non-payment of wages. In some cases, arriving migrant workers have found the terms of employment in Saudi Arabia are wholly different from those they agreed to in their home countries. The Indian government no longer permits its female nationals under age 40 to take jobs as domestic workers in Saudi homes due to the high incidence of physical abuse by employers. Women, primarily from Asian and African countries, were believed to have been forced into prostitution in Saudi Arabia; others were reportedly kidnapped and forced into prostitution after running away from abusive employers.

Yemeni, Nigerian, Pakistani, Afghan, Chadian, and Sudanese children were subjected to forced labor as beggars and street vendors in Saudi Arabia, facilitated by criminal gangs. Unconfirmed reports indicated fewer Yemeni children may have been forced to work in Saudi Arabia during the reporting period. A 2009 doctoral study submitted to Naif Arab University for Security Sciences concluded Jeddah may be a hub for an international child trafficking network exploiting the Hajj and Umrah visas (visas for religious pilgrimages to Mecca).

Some Saudi nationals travel to destinations including Morocco, Egypt, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh to solicit prostitution. Some Saudi men used legally contracted “temporary marriages” in countries such as Mauritania, Yemen, and Indonesia as a means by which to sexually exploit migrant workers.

The Government of Saudi Arabia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. In a positive development, the government enacted anti-trafficking legislation during the reporting period, and published a National Plan for Combating Trafficking in Persons. However, the new law did not provide criminal sanctions for the prohibited but still common practice of withholding passports and denying exit visas, and did not provide provisions for trafficking victims to remain in Saudi Arabia during investigations and court proceedings. There was no confirmation the government criminally prosecuted or punished trafficking offenders under the new or existing laws. Victim protection efforts in Saudi Arabia continued to be weak. Many Saudis, including some government officials, continued to deny certain kinds of trafficking occur, particularly cases involving sexual exploitation. Government officials also conflated trafficking with smuggling and the problem of religious pilgrims overstaying their visas to work illegally. The new National Plan of Action, however, acknowledges the conflation.

Yep, funk de fino, I'm definitely laughing about this one. :mad:

[DC]

Tier 2 :eek: :blush:

[Foolmewunz]

Tier 2 :eek: :blush:

I'm curious about that, too.

Only thing I can think of is purely hearsay/anecdotal, e.g. Switzerland is a stopping off point for a lot of Eastern Med people looking to get to Germany,? Or so I heard discussed last time I was in Zurich a few years ago. Might that be the reason?

[DC]

I'm curious about that, too.

Only thing I can think of is purely hearsay/anecdotal, e.g. Switzerland is a stopping off point for a lot of Eastern Med people looking to get to Germany,? Or so I heard discussed last time I was in Zurich a few years ago. Might that be the reason?

i have read the part about it, and it seems mainly to be sex traffic, which i was aware that there is a problem, but i thought it was getting combated properly, but it seems compared to other nations it isn't. while i found 2 points rather strange. legality of prostitution for 16-18 years helps increasing the problem, and we have no
" The government did not make any discernible efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex."
How on earth are you going to do that?

[Mycroft]

" The government did not make any discernible efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex."
How on earth are you going to do that?

By encouraging non-commercial sex, of course.

Your government should be subsidizing the purchase of Barry White cd's. And make sure more suggestive viewing material is available on television.

[DC]

By encouraging non-commercial sex, of course.

Your government should be subsidizing the purchase of Barry White cd's. And make sure more suggestive viewing material is available on television.

mmhhh and we have DJ Bobo instead....

[Puppycow]

Many people from immature countries make me laugh with their continued and uninformed criticisms of other nations. It's like the 5 year old in the playground saying be could knock out the teacher.

Stroll on

Which countries in your opinion are "immature"?

[Puppycow]

To be fair to Funk, the immature country he was talking about was Saudi Arabia, not the US. He was saying he was laughing at their uninformed criticisms of other countries, meaning the West.

Oh, is that right?

Carry on.

[Puppycow]

Looks like the authorities have nailed the suspects: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/08/30/sri.lanka.maid.assault/index.html?hpt=T2

I'm glad to see there's been an arrest, but if previous cases are any guide, they may get away with a slap on the wrist and a pitifully small award for damages. We'll see.

[WildCat]

Looks like the authorities have nailed the suspects: http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/08/30/sri.lanka.maid.assault/index.html?hpt=T2
I predict they will be fined less than $1,000 and get no jail time. And that's assuming it even makes it to trial.

[luchog]

Only thing I can think of is purely hearsay/anecdotal, e.g. Switzerland is a stopping off point for a lot of Eastern Med people looking to get to Germany,? Or so I heard discussed last time I was in Zurich a few years ago. Might that be the reason?
i have read the part about it, and it seems mainly to be sex traffic, which i was aware that there is a problem, but i thought it was getting combated properly, but it seems compared to other nations it isn't.
As I recall from reading the report, Switzerland and Portugal are Tier 2 mainly because they are countries of transit, people being moved elsewhere, and insufficient policing of transfer visas and human smuggling. Japan is Tier 2 because it is predominantly a destination country; mostly for Southeast Asians and Filipinos working in the sex trade and as cheap manual labour for the construction industry (which is predominantly controlled by the Yakuza).

[Skeptic Ginger]

Wiki has a world map (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trafficking) of all countries' tier designation and a definition of what each tier means.

[WildCat]

Wiki has a world map (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trafficking) of all countries' tier designation and a definition of what each tier means.
So does the State Department (http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2010/index.htm). ;)