Kenyan domestic worker faces corporal punishment for unwed birth

Rights groups condemn a Saudi court sentence of 100 lashes handed to an unwed Kenyan mother.

A Kenyan housekeeper working in Saudi Arabia received a sentence of 100 lashes for having a child outside of wedlock. Human rights organisations strongly denounced the penalty as an act of violence. The case highlights ongoing concerns regarding the gender disparity in how sharia laws are enforced against extramarital sex.

• The convictEsther Wanja Muthoni worked as a housekeeper for a local family prior to her arrest.
• The lawExtramarital sex remains a criminal offence under the legal framework of Saudi Arabia.
• The reactionAdvocacy organisations argue that female citizens and migrant workers bear the brunt of such prosecutions.