{Worried about leaving their children with housemaids, numerous couples have installed closed circuit TV (CCTV) cameras at their homes. }
Concerned at leaving her children in the care of the maid for almost eight hours in a day, Um Ahmed, a Muscat resident said, “I used to leave my children with the housemaid but would constantly worry. In fact, I thought of quitting my job.”
She added that after a long discussion with her husband and friends, she decided to install CCTV cameras at different locations in her house.
At peace
“It is not because I doubt my housemaid, but I am at peace after I have installed the camera,” she said.
An official at Al Sukaria, a recruitment agency said, “Cameras are the best way to monitor housemaids.”
But it is important maids are informed that they are being monitored, he said.
Um Ahmed agreed with the recruitment agency official. “I have shown the housemaid where the cameras are installed,” she said.
She did not want to hide the cameras from the maid but wanted to ensure that the maid did not misbehave with the baby. She added that this ensured the housemaid was quite attentive.
Amina Ali, working in the private sector, also echoed Um Ahmed’s concerns.
“The time I spend at the office and the distance of the office from my home always made me think about my eight-month-old baby being alone at home with the maid,” she said.
She said that because of the distance between the office and home, she felt a camera would help her in keeping a watch on her home.
“My parents live outside Muscat and I could not find a crèche to keep my daughter, so I had to leave her with my housemaid,” said Amina.
She also said that due to her concerns about her child, she got a bad performance report from her boss.
“I got the idea of installing cameras from my boss after I explained my situation,” she said.
She has installed six cameras at different locations in her house.
A housemaid who did not want to be identified, said she felt safer with a camera monitoring her.
“That way we won’t be blamed for things we don’t do. I feel comfortable and safer being monitored by a camera. I have been recruited to do a job and I don’t want my employers to suspect me,” she clarified.
Amina also felt it was important to let the maids know that their being watched was to gain their trust.
“They are, after all, part of the family, so I don’t want them to feel bad,” she said.
Nabila Al Balushi, working in a private bank, explained that she installed cameras after noticing that some of her belongings were missing.
“I lost my wedding ring six months back, but I could not accuse anybody since I have two housemaids,” said Nabila. Then one day she found cash kept for emergency use missing.
“After these two incidents I installed cameras at different places in my house, especially at locations where housemaids spent more time,” said Nabila. She kept checking the video recordings on a daily basis till she discovered which housemaid had committed the thefts.
“After identifying the thief, I checked her bags and table drawers and found numerous items which had gone missing at various times, which I was not even aware of. I had to ask her to leave,” she said.
Amina and Nabila, however, refused to inform their maids about the cameras.
“I did not tell her because I was afraid she might end up hurting my child,” said Amina.
Nabila felt that her plan to keep a check on the maids would not succeed if she told them about the cameras.
Akram Ali, who specialised in installing close circuit TV cameras, said that his shop had seen a rush of customers lately.
“My business has grown with customers coming in to look for different types and sizes of cameras,” said Akram.
He added that most of the customers asked him to install the multiple cameras across the home.
A reliable source at the Royal Oman Police (ROP), said that the police received different cases involving housemaids.
“Some employers complain about physical violence against their children by housemaids while others complain about theft,” said the source.
The police acted the moment residents approached them, he added.
“Employers must not react or show the housemaids that they know about her crime or misbehaviour,” said the source, because a confrontation without police involvement could lead to a bigger problem and unfortunate consequences.
“Videos are vital evidence in such cases,” said the source.
He said that when employers prove their complaints with video evidence it strengthens the case and makes it easier for the police to deal with it.
Times of Oman
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