To wonder what happens to the maids and nannies etc when people flee Dubai/the Middle East

[morningmists]

I saw news stories of lots of pets being left behind, but I can't see any mention of the maids and nannies etc ? I am guessing it wouldn't always be simple to get them to England due to visas etc -so do they get booked on flights back to their homes?

My mum had a nanny growing up and she loved her as much as she loved her mum so I imagine this is a hard separation for some

Are you confusing Dubai with Saudi Arabia or somewhere? The same amount of extramarital sex goes on there as anywhere else. ‘Ladies’ nights’ at the hotels used to be full of Russian and Chinese prostitutes, and the stereotype was that when SAHMs and children often went ‘home’ for the very hot summer holidays, husbands stayed on to work and shagged all round them as ‘summer bachelors’.

My brother has a nanny and two maids he is currently in Dubai, he has taken them with him and his family every time they move, they started in Australia, and have been to Jakarta, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and now Dubai. They are part of his family and have been with him for nearly 20 yrs. They have families of there own now after all this time. They are all from his wifes home country. I could'nt ever imagine he would just abandon them. They all live together in a large compound with their own living areas.

Generally not. Many end up being literally dumped in the street.

There was quite a lot about this exact problem in Lebanon a while back
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2024/oct/11/thrown-out-like-used-washing-machines-lebanons-migrant-workers-bear-brunt-of-displacement-crisis

No. I mean, I agree with you, obviously, that both lots are immigrants hired in from overseas to do jobs the Emiratis can’t or won’t do, but on the ground, entirely different worlds, divided by privilege.

I just looked up the terms of domestic workers’ employment. One of the specifications is that they are allowed eight consecutive hours of sleep. Because that needs to be stipulated, apparently.

Older villas used to come with a ‘maid’s room’ in the yard, but I’m assuming maids all live in the main house now. Though you do still see villa listings as ‘four bed + maid’s room’.

Have you not seen The Handmaid's Tale? Or read anything about sex and power or even rape?

Do you think men in Dubai are above this behaviour? Or that it doesn't happen?

I would say that rape is common there.

But household staff, low paid and on crappy visas, voluntarily having affairs with married men and stealing or wearing their bosses clothes etc??!

Absolutely not - in that country?!

I’m not understanding your logic. Why not in Dubai?

Dubai punish poor people harshly for stepping out of line

Never in the history of the world has punishing people harshly prevented theft, murder, sexual offenses, or abuse of any kind. Neither has it succeeded in totally repressing sexuality, creativity or dissent.

My sister was a nanny in America. The husband very much considered fucking him as being part of her duties.
Luckily, the wife never found out and not a good place to be homeless.
And they weren’t even rich
The audacity

I suspect peoples pets are treated better.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/11/pets-abandoned-dubai-expat-owners-flee-iran-war

The maids are mostly immigrants so may well go back to their own countries, but I assume they would have to make their own arrangements and they mainly come from very poor countries. Hopefully this won't last long and they will get new jobs quite quickly, perhaps some leavers will carry on paying them to look after the property until they come back (if they go back).

Rape is common on Dubai?!

How on earth would anyone know unless we are employing nannies and maids in dubai @morningmists??

???

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38013351

No-one working in dubai is sleeping with their bosses husband, the punishments are insane.

I would imagine there’s a fair amount of Coercion and unreported yes

America is world's away from dubai

If a maid is sleeping with the married boss, shes being forced to. The punishment for women in dubai is too severe for anything otherwise

That was 10 years ago. Things have changed since then to be fair.

Not sure my 18-year-old sister was a willing participant to be fair, Living in help is not a healthy relationship in my opinion

Well I am sure there are Mumsnetters who do...

It was 10 years ago, yes, but I don't doubt for a second that this still happens to women with weaker passports.

Terrifying part of the world, despite the Western, white, influencers claiming it's very safe.

You shouldn’t make the assumption that because the they’re really rich that they’ll fund flights etc. Some rich people can be so tight. Some of the stories of how “the help” is treated and how little they’re paid in Dubai even before this war is really terrible.

They changed the laws on this and decriminalised sex outside of marriage. Now the law is both parties have to be 18 and consenting. What happened before was completely horrific and wrong but they changed things up.

That may be true for a minority but you sound bitter. Hope you wouldn’t just piss off back to England and forget about the person who left their own family to clean up after you for little pay.