Bahraini authorities arrest woman who beat domestic worker

Bahraini authorities announced the arrest of a woman who was captured brutally beating a domestic worker in a video that went viral on social media last week, Al Arabiya reported.

In a statement on the matter, Bahrain's deputy prosecutor in Muharraq governorate, Amer al-Amer, said an investigation was launched into the incident.

Authorities later identified and located the victim, who gave a statement to police accusing her Bahraini sponsor's daughter of assaulting her.

The defendant was then arrested and has since confessed to the accusations. She has now been charged with assault and will continue to be detained until a trial date is set in the case.

In the footage, the woman is seen horrifically assaulting the domestic worker, beating her, kicking her, and hurling insults at her. 

A man, who has yet to be identified, is also seen screaming at the victim in the video. 

After it first started circulating online last week, the clip angered thousands who are now relieved that the victim has been saved. 

*The video is available online but we choose not to share such graphic content in line with ethical standards.

This is not the first time a similar case of abuse is reported in the Arab world. 

Earlier this year, the body of a Filipina domestic worker was found in a freezer in the flat of a Lebanese-Syrian couple in Kuwait. At the time, the case sparked outrage and led to a diplomatic crisis between the Philippines and the Gulf state. 

In April, Saudi authorities arrested a woman who allegedly forced a Filipina domestic worker to drink bleach. 

Last year, a man was also arrested in the kingdom after he sexually assaulted a domestic worker who works with his family. 

Millions of domestic workers across the Arab world are forced to fight for their most basic of rights given that they're governed by the kafala system. 

The latter exists in different forms in the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon. 

According to Human Rights Watch, it's a form of legislation "that gives sponsoring employers substantial control over workers and leaves workers vulnerable to situations of trafficking and forced labor." 

The kafala system, which has been called "modern-day slavery" by rights groups, legally binds domestic workers to their employers, giving them very limited legal protection. 

Under it, domestic workers across the region are left exposed to human rights violations.