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Ethiopian women in Dubai struggles to recover from a fall

Posted on , Updated on by Elias Kifle

DUBAI — The Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) has come to the rescue of an Ethiopian housemaid who plunged from the second-floor balcony of her sponsor’s villa while cleaning.

Bizuwork Girma
The housemaid suffered fractures and will need
medical treatment for at least six months
[Photo: Bassma Al Jandaly/Gulf News]

Senior DNRD officials are negotiating with her sponsor, whom it is alleged has not paid her since she started working for him, and who has threatened to deport her even though she requires medical attention.

Bizuwork Girma, the 33-year-old housemaid is currently being treated in Rashid Hospital and has severe injuries. Major General Mohammad Ahmad Al Merri, Director-General of Dubai DNRD told Gulf News it was the responsibility of sponsors to provide medical treatment at their own expense if domestic helpers are injured at work.

“The UAE domestic helpers’ work contract makes it obligatory for sponsors to give all necessary medical treatment for their employees. If it is proved that the sponsor is ignoring the law he will face punishment,” he said.

Full support will be given to Bizuwork, Major General Al Merri added.

Bizuwork, a mother of a four-year-old boy back in her home country, came to work in Dubai in November last year as a housemaid for a British man, his Lebanese wife and their three children.

According to a social worker from the Ethiopian Consulate Bizuwork’s sponsor told them he had sent the money to her sister but her sister said she has not received any money.

“We asked the sponsor to check with the exchange company why the money did not reach the family but the sponsor said he was too busy for such things,” the social worker told Gulf News.

Bizuwork told Gulf News that on the day of the accident she was cleaning her sponsor’s house when she fell off the villa’s second-floor balcony while she was putting a blanket out to air.

Doctors at the hospital said that Bizuwork was suffering from fractures to her back and would need medical treatment for a while.

They said she will be discharged from the hospital in a week’s time. But she has to come back for follow-up treatment for at least six months.

If she does not receive proper treatment she could be permanently paralysed, the doctor said.

According to the consulate’s social worker Bizuwork’s sponsor will not allow her to stay in the UAE for her follow-up treatment and will try to send her back to her home country as soon as she is discharged from the hospital.

Bizuwork tearfully said that she was from a very poor family who live in a small city in Ethiopia. Her father died a long time ago. She left her young son with her mother and came to the UAE in order to be able to work and support them.

Bizuwork said her life would not be easy if she went back to her country while she was in such a poor physical condition. “I will die. I cannot afford to go to hospital,” said Bizuwork.

By Bassma Al Jandaly, Gulf News

8 thoughts on “Ethiopian women in Dubai struggles to recover from a fall”

  1. It has always been sad for most of our Ethiopian sisters who go out to the Arab countries to earn a living to support themselves and their family back at home. The person who sponsored this young Ethiopian woman to take care of his house has failed to take care of Bizuwork Girma, who hurt herself while working for this heartless person, and he is trying to send her home before she recovers completely from her injury. Is there justice in the Arab world and especially in the land of Meles Seitanawi who refused to give his people jobs and a place to stay? Shame on Meles’ regime and his family who have no pity for Ethiopian girls like the hard-working Bizuwork Girma and others Ethiopians all over the world.

  2. Very sad news. And this is the top of the iceberg. People due to war, due to dictators, and as a result due to poverty leave their beloved country and are slave labored. Not respected. This an additional reason to fight dictators.

  5. It is a heart breaking story. But all sisters traveling to Arab countries know about their fate ..either to achieve or to sacrify their life for the benefit of their lovely families… the meida also tries to create awareness about the possible fate. These is not the responsibility of one party but all of us should help them while they are in their untouched country instead of blaming one another. we know that most of these sisters have a family in western countries but they flew to Arab countries when their relatives became reluctant to help them, even some of these Ethiopian workers are supplied to their employers by some merciless Ethiopians focused on exploiting them. Thus, please dont discredit the role of the government in each Arab countries. I know, if you were placed in that post you will do nothing.

  6. sometimes it can happen such incidents not only in arab country but also in western countries.
    are you feeling free in U.S.A? when you move from place to place?

    our embassy should be strong in all over the world. at least for such problems.

  7. To all millions of Ethiopians:The desperate,the oppressed,the poor, and the suferrers sisters who are forced to leave their beloved country by the current antiEthiopia regime and members of the crimefamily need our help.

    Yes, we have been embrassed abut nearly everything and ashamed of ourselves because of what is happening and going on to our helpless sisters in the gulf regions. yes it is painful to see and hear the suffering of our unfortunate sisters, but we must take the carage to do something and help them free from this endless suffering.

    Ethiopians, we must come up with constructive and helpful ideas and plans to help our sisters as soon as possible and help all the sufferers to hold their freedom in their hands.

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