经济学人下载:家政工作,释放女佣

In contrast, the six wealthy monarchies of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC), where abuse of domestic workers is common, had a change of heart. Initially, they opposed the convention, arguing that it was not only impractical, but unnecessary: workers, they said, were treated like members of the families who employed them—though ask Sumiati Binti Salan Mustapa, a maid whose Saudi employer stabbed, beat and burned her. This year the GCC shifted its position and even suggested several changes that strengthened the treaty.

相反，虐仆事件屡见不鲜的6个富裕的海湾合作理事会君主国却改变了立场。一开始他们反对这项协定，坚持认为这项协定不仅不切实际，而且没有必要：他们声称雇主都已经将仆人当作自家人对待了 — 不过最好还是问问穆斯塔法，她曾被沙特雇主用刺，打和烫的手段虐待过。今年海湾合作理事会国家改变了立场，还为完善条约提出了一些更改的建议。

The convention now has to be ratified by governments, which is likely to take several years. Some countries may never follow through, despite having voted for the treaty. In the meantime, abuses continue, although things have recently improved. In the Middle East several countries are drafting legislation about domestic workers and are looking to the convention for guidance. Others now have hotlines for domestic workers to report abuse.

约定还须征得政府的批准，这项程序也许会延续几年时间。有些国家尽管投票支持了这项条约，但也有可能无法坚持到最后。同时虐仆事件还在持续，尽管最近情况有了好转。中东几个国家正在起草有关家政工人的法律，希望以此约定作为指导。其他国家现在也为家政人员报告虐仆事件开通了热线。

Yet the most encouraging local change is the emergence of many Facebook groups and blogs, such as Migrant Rights, that talk about abuse. They show that younger people in the Middle East and Asia are increasingly embarrassed about the exploitation of expatriate workers in their countries. That may do as much as any treaty to improve the plight of domestic workers.

但最令人感到鼓舞的变化是诸如“移民权利”这样的许多脸谱小组和博客的出现，他们对虐仆问题展开讨论。他们表示，中东和亚洲的许多年轻人对于剥削外来移民工人的行为渐渐感到羞愧。这也许会与条约一样能为提高家政工人的困境有所帮助。