Nepal's embassy in Saudi Arabia has rescued 126 Nepali women working as maids and who complained of economic, sexual and psychological exploitation by their employers.
Most of the women had entered Saudi Arabia illegally after being trafficked through India. The Nepali government forbids women under 30 to work as maids in any of the Gulf states, but human traffickers continue to prey on poor and illiterate young women.
Most of the 126 women rescued by the Nepali embassy are under 30. They told Nepali officials their passports were confiscated by their employers, they were sexually abused, they weren't paid agreed wages and some even said they were denied food and water.
