Growing distrust of childcare providers is causing many families to install CCTV cameras in their homes, but maids say they do not like to be under constant supervision. Ravindranath K / The National
Growing distrust of childcare providers is causing many families to install CCTV cameras in their homes, but maids say they do not like to be under constant supervision. Ravindranath K / The National

Camera showed maid eating baby’s food



ABU DHABI // Umm Fahad, who has three children, said she installed CCTV cameras after giving birth to her third year last year.

She said she got the cameras to be safe “in case something happens”, but did not watch the videos regularly.

What she did not expect to see, however, was her maid eating the baby’s food.

“The first time I saw it, I laughed. I couldn’t help but think ‘Why? Why would she choose to eat pureed veggies and sticky rice?’. Then it was constantly occurring and I just didn’t understand it,” she said.

“It was also ruining my daughter’s eating portions and I was always worried she might be hungry still.”

Umm Fahad confronted the helper after the incident became a daily ritual.

“I thought she might be hungry, or maybe craving children’s foods,” she said. “When I asked her, she said she was bored and my baby wasn’t eating it anyway.

“I didn’t want it to be a problem or to have to fire her. I spoke to her and explained I didn’t like it. I also got her extra snacks just in case she wanted more food.”

aalkhoori@thenational.ae

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
  1. Join parent networks
  2. Look beyond school fees
  3. Keep an open mind
The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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Date started: Okadoc, 2018

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Sector: Healthcare

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What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

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