All five recruitment agencies contacted by Khaleej Times on Saturday confirmed the ban, while none were sure about the reasons. Some felt they were banned for their alleged involvement in prostitution.
No confirmation could be obtained from the Ministry of Interior, or even whether the ban includes all Ethiopian nationals or only maids.
Owner of a recruitment agency, Abdullah Abdulrahman, said that the ban came suddenly, without a notice and that affected businesses. “I deal mainly with Ethiopian maids because they can be hired on a reasonable salary.”
Abdullah said he learnt about the ban while going to the General Directorate of Nationality, Passport and Resident to process paperwork for his clients last Tuesday. “I was told that processing of work permits for Ethiopian maids was stopped, but no reason was given.”
Abdullah said that bringing women from Ethiopia cost no more than BD300 and their salaries range between BD40 and BD50 per month , while those from other nationalities cost no less than BD600 and their salaries were higher.
Ethiopians are the second nationality to be banned from entering Bahrain, as last year the Ministry of Interior imposed a temporary ban on Bangladeshi nationals after a Bangladeshi worker killed a Bahraini man over a dispute over labour charges.
Recruitment agencies have confirmed what immigration officials remain mum about — a ban imposed on Ethiopian maids since last week.
All five recruitment agencies contacted by Khaleej Times on Saturday confirmed the ban, while none were sure about the reasons. Some felt they were banned for their alleged involvement in prostitution.
No confirmation could be obtained from the Ministry of Interior, or even whether the ban includes all Ethiopian nationals or only maids.
Owner of a recruitment agency, Abdullah Abdulrahman, said that the ban came suddenly, without a notice and that affected businesses. “I deal mainly with Ethiopian maids because they can be hired on a reasonable salary.”
Abdullah said he learnt about the ban while going to the General Directorate of Nationality, Passport and Resident to process paperwork for his clients last Tuesday. “I was told that processing of work permits for Ethiopian maids was stopped, but no reason was given.”
Abdullah said that bringing women from Ethiopia cost no more than BD300 and their salaries range between BD40 and BD50 per month , while those from other nationalities cost no less than BD600 and their salaries were higher.
Ethiopians are the second nationality to be banned from entering Bahrain, as last year the Ministry of Interior imposed a temporary ban on Bangladeshi nationals after a Bangladeshi worker killed a Bahraini man over a dispute over labour charges.
