DUBAI // Members of a Filipino women's rights group are calling for their government's support to put an end to violence against women in the UAE.
"The women who are most often abused here are domestic helpers," said Melca Perez, the chairwoman of Gabriela UAE ahead of today's International Women's Day. "An increasing number of victims are seeking help from the Philippine consulate."
However, these women have not been receiving adequate support from officials, she said.
On November 25, Gabriela - the General Assembly Binding Women for Reforms, Integrity, Equality, Leadership and Action - was officially launched in Dubai to provide counselling to Filipinas, particularly those who have suffered physical, psychological and sexual abuse in the hands of their employers.
Over the past three months, Gabriela UAE has handled more than 30 cases. Two thirds involved domestic workers who complained of non-payment of wages, lack of food and sleep, long working hours and physical and verbal abuse.
Amilbahar Amilasan, the Filipino labour attache in Dubai, said his office has done its part to support the women.
"They are not well compensated for their work so many of them tend to run away," he said. "Most are being paid Dh700 or Dh800 while a few get Dh1,000 and suffer verbal abuse."
The Philippines government has set a US$400 (Dh1,470) minimum salary for its nationals working as domestic staff abroad.
Of the more than 100 recruitment agencies accredited with the Philippine overseas labour office in Dubai, seven firms were found to have broken the recruitment laws. Mr Amilasan's office has stopped processing their papers.
"If these maids are paid $400 or more, the problem will be minimised," he said.
To mark International Women's Day, the group will organise an art and musical programme in Dubai from 11am to 2pm tomorrow.
"We will continue the campaign 'I vow to fight Vaw [violence against women]' that we launched last year," said Ms Perez. "We have a photo gallery of our members who have pledged their commitment to the cause."
Gabriela has been active in the Philippines since March 1984, and has branches in the US, Hong Kong, Japan and the Netherlands, among other countries.
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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
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Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
