An expat who was sentenced to three years in prison and fined BD2,000 for forcing a maid to work in nine households without pay has lost her final appeal at the Cassation Court.
The Pakistani woman was earlier found guilty of exploiting her 25-year-old compatriot, forcing her to work using threats and deception, and confiscating her hard-earned money.
She was also convicted of running a manpower agency and employment office without acquiring a licence, stealing the housemaid’s passport, and committing human trafficking to make a profit.
The court heard that the defendant sponsored the victim in 2024 to work at her house for BD120 a month, and made her sleep on the kitchen floor.
Between January 2024 and January 2025, she reportedly forced her to work for nine different families, and took her wages, having only paid her BD200 in the first two months.
Court documents stated that the defendant employed the victim in households, a month at a time, without acquiring a licence to supply labour or run a manpower agency.
The victim’s reprieve came from one of the families she worked for. A Bahraini man testified that his mum agreed with the defendant to have the victim work in her house for two months, and paid her between BD30 and BD50 for it.
However, the mum later informed the defendant that the victim did not want to return to her house. He also testified that the maid was facing physical violence.
In voice notes, the defendant can be heard threatening to hit the victim, who earlier testified that her employer enlisted a man to scare her into continuing to work for her despite the mistreatment and lack of compensation.
The case was brought to criminal court after the Labour Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA) sued the defendant for illegally operating an employment agency.
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