A year after Amnesty International documented widespread abuse of Kenyan domestic workers in Saudi Arabia, a new briefing from the organization reveals that Filipino women are facing many of the same abuses, including being overworked, exploited and subjected to degrading treatment, as well as sexual assault in some cases.
“Once we step in their homes, we are no longer human”: Testimonies of Filipino women domestic workers in Saudi Arabia, documents the experiences of 19 Filipino women who returned from Saudi Arabia, mostly between 2023 and 2026. In their interviews the women shared how, once inside their employer’s homes, the terms of their contracts no longer mattered, and they were left at the mercy of their employer’s unchecked authority. The stories mirrored many elements of those of Kenyan women interviewed for an Amnesty International report released in 2025, who were routinely deceived by recruiters about the nature of their work and subjected to gruelling and abusive conditions, as well as racial discrimination.
“These stories are not isolated cases. The harrowing testimonies paint a worrying picture of ongoing state-enabled exploitation in a country with over four million domestic workers. It’s clear that for far too many workers, serious abuses and intimidation comes with taking a job in Saudi Arabia,” said Marta Schaaf, Amnesty International’s Director of Climate, Economic and Social Justice, and Corporate Accountability programme.
