There have been reported cases of domestic abuse in which

families. mistreat 1heir maids, who have then artacked the

children of their employers. Nafeek's employer accused her of
strangling their four-month-old baby after ihey had an
argument. However, Nafeek always protested her Innocence
and: said the baby choked to death while being fed with a
botle,

In 2007, a three-judge panel from the Dawadami High Court

found Nafeek guilty of itentional murder and sentenced her to
death. The gir let
arguing thar she was underage ar the time of the bal
and that she could not have had a grudge against her
employers because she had only “been working for the
household for... few days.” Despire this, the Saudi Court of
Cassarion and the Supreme Court in Riyadh upheld Nafeek's
death sentence. Outraged at the decision, Human Rights
Watch and the Asian Human Rights Commission stepped in to
provide international legal assistance, bur ro no avail*,

ted help to appeal her capital sentence,

vs death

Despite all efforrs 10 suspend her sentence, Nafeek was

execured by public beheadng in January 2013. “There's no
point in blaming anyone — Rizana has gone,” said Nafeek's
mother, Rafeena Nafeek.Though tragic, Nafeek's case brought
global attention to the importance of upholding legal and
human rights for domestic workers. In the end, only a
combination of enforceable Interational agreements, domestic
legal reforms, and better access to clear legal processes can
guarantee adequate protection for all workers