Gulf Times, Sunday, 14 September, 2008By Nour Abuzant
A MAN has been arrested in connection with a brutal attack on an Indonesian housemaid.
The shocking case was highlighted in Gulf Times on June 25 – with a photograph (right) showing the multiple bruises left on the young woman’s upper body following the sustained assault.
Yesterday sources confirmed that as a result of the article, a man had been questioned by the police and released on bail. The case has now been referred to the Public Prosecution department.
The maid, aged 23, was admitted to hospital after taking a savage beating, allegedly at the hands of her sponsor’s son.
Seeking refuge in the Indonesian Embassy, the young woman claimed she was attacked after revealing she planned to return home as her two-year contract with the family had finished.
She told Gulf Times that she had been thrashed for 90 minutes, with the assailant only breaking off from the assault in order to drink water.
She added that other members of the Qatari family did not intervene to save her because they were “afraid”.
The maid further claimed that she had been regularly beaten throughout the period of her contract.
The day after her ordeal, the woman escaped from the house and contacted the recruitment agency that arranged her employment. In turn, they informed her embassy who filed a police report at Khalifa police station.
The maid is currently staying at the Indonesian embassy in order to help the legal authorities bring the man to justice.
“We trust the Qatari law enforcement system and we hope justice is done in this case,” said a spokesman for the embassy.
