After working for a year without a day off, Eva, a 37-year-old Filipino housekeeper in Riyadh, wanted a holiday. Her employer thought otherwise, and demanded payment of SR8,000 ($2,139) to obtain her exit visa.

“I just wanted to go home to see my children,’’ says Eva, who asked that her surname be withheld while she continues working in the household. “Madame agreed to sign my exit visa only after I threatened to kill myself.”