Amnesty International Documents Widespread Abuses Against Filipino Domestic Workers in Saudi Arabia

In a new briefing, Amnesty International documented multiple abuses against Filipino domestic workers in Saudi Arabia, including excessive working hours, denial of rest, mistreatment, exploitation, and in some cases, sexual harassment and assault.

The report was based on testimonies from 19 Filipino workers who returned from Saudi Arabia, most of them between 2023 and 2026. The workers said that contract terms were often ignored, with some forced to work between 14 and 21 hours a day without adequate rest or days off, while others were made to work in multiple households in violation of their contracts.

The report also documented the confiscation of passports, restrictions on freedom of movement, and difficulties in leaving workplaces or returning to their home countries, in addition to cases of degrading treatment and food deprivation. Amnesty stated that some of these abuses may amount to forced labor or human trafficking for labor exploitation.

Amnesty International criticized the Saudi government’s failure to provide effective protections for domestic workers, arguing that weak oversight and the continued exploitative aspects of the kafala system contribute to recurring abuses and grant employers excessive control over workers.

The organization called on Saudi authorities to investigate all allegations of abuse and sexual violence, hold those responsible accountable, dismantle the kafala system, and include domestic workers under Saudi labor law protections.