PO BAG 1: Kasthuri

In this Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015, photo, Mohan Munirathinam, son of Kasthuri Munirathinam, displays his mother’s photograph and a copy her employment documents in Chennai, India. Kasthuri Munirathinam, a 55-year-old mother of four, worked as a live-in maid in Saudi Arabia. On Sept. 29, just a few weeks after arriving in the kingdom, she tried to escape from her employer’s house, using two of her saris to fashion a rope and climb from a third-floor window. Kasthuri lost most of her right arm and is now in a hospital.

Kasthuri Munirathinam, a 55-year-old mother of four from southern India, was plunged into debt after borrowing money to marry off her daughters. Like many before her, she was recruited through an agency and promised an opportunity to earn 1,000 Saudi riyals ($267) a month by working as a live-in maid in Saudi Arabia, the Arab region's largest economy where domestic help is in high demand.

On Sept. 29, just a few weeks after arriving in the kingdom, she tried to escape from her employer's house, using two of her saris to fashion a rope and climb from a third-floor window.

29 October 2015

Labor laws questioned after Indian maid loses arm in Saudi