Saudi to lift ban on Filipino domestic workers

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia will lift the 15-month ban on Filipino domestic workers starting from Oct 1, a Saudi official said.

Saudi Assistant Foreign Minister Prince Khalid bin Saood bin Khalid told Saudi News Agency Tuesday that work permits for domestic workers from the Philippines will be issued from the beginning of next month.

"The ban was lifted after the Saudi embassy in Manila reached with officials in the Philippines an agreement related to job contracts and required documents for those workers," he said.

The agreement would protect the rights of those workers without affecting the rights of Saudi sponsors and their privacy. Saudi Arabia imposed a ban on Filipino and Indonesian domestic workers in July 2011, after the two countries approved some conditions Saudi Arabia considered as interference in the privacy of Saudi families.